


I Love You Keith

by Keithisgay



Series: I Love You Keith [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Gay, Gay Keith (Voltron), Idiots in Love, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining James Griffin (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:15:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 89
Words: 96,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27178424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keithisgay/pseuds/Keithisgay
Summary: This is set before the Kerbros mission, and is about Keith and his friends time at the Garriosn, starting on their first day, ending when they find the blue lion. Keith is Shadams surrogate son, and is 14, and newly enrolled at the Garrison.  Here he'll meet the members of Voltron, and some very special people, including James Griffin, Kinkade, Pidge, and a few others.(For story purposes, Lance is kinda judgy of Keith, but he's a good person)This was my 1st attempt at fanfic, and is the exact same as the "I Love You Keith" story on Wattpad and this is the same author
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Ina Leifsdottir/Nadia Rizavi, James Griffin/Keith (Voltron), Keith's Family & Shiro (Voltron)
Series: I Love You Keith [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984150
Kudos: 7





	1. At The Garrison

Keith POV

"Shiro." I whined. "Why can't I just stay home? I don't wanna go to school." Shiro looked down at me and sighed. "Because Keith, I can't trust you to stay home by yourself, remember what happened last time? I don't want another call from the police. "But that was just one time! And you said I could go outside!" "But not on the motorbike and through the city!" "You have potential Keith. You could be the greatest pilot of your generation! And this way I can keep an eye on you, and you can finally make some friends." "But Shiro, you're my friend. So is Adam. I don't need anyone else. I'll be perfectly fine on my own." And to go along with my argument, I tripped. On my own foot. "Hahaha!" I got up quickly, "Shut up Shiro." I grumbled. "Come on Keith, let's get you inside, or are you going to fall again?" He snickered and I punched him in the arm. "Let's just get this over with. We walked in, got seated then some guy with black hair, Iverson i think? Started giving a speech..thank you for coming...students...best academy... I zoned out for most of it. Then I heard something that got my attention. Space exploration..SPACE?!?! I COULD GO TO SPACE?!?! I started poking Shiro and whisper screamed "You didn't say anything about space!" he shrugged and whispered "I wanted to surprise you. Now shut up, I can't hear Iverson." I sat back in my seat calmly. Ok, now things got serious. I might actually have to try at this place. Cause i wanna go to space. I love space. The stars, the planets, the new galaxies... oh shit everyone is getting up, I completely zoned out. Hope i didn't miss anything important. As I followed Shiro out, I could hear the buzz of excitement in the air. We could be the next generation of space explorers. My mind was going crazy with possibilities. And then I zoned out. Again. And I walked out, I caught a glimpse of the most beautiful pair of blue eyes I had ever seen. Looking at them was like looking at the ocean, and he had carmel brown skin, and curly brown hair. As I realized that I was staring, he made eye contact with me, and winked. HE FUCKING WINKED. It turned away quickly, knowing that my face was probably beet red. Fuck, I think I'm gay. Makes sense though. I've never really liked girls, and I live with Shiro and Adam, the gayest people I know. Also the only people I know. Maybe Shiro's right. Maybe this place will be good for me.


	2. On The Way Home

Keith POV

On the way home, all I could think About was that blue eyed boy I saw. Was he going to be one of my classmates? Maybe he'll be my friend? I continued to fantasize different ways we would meet, or things that would happen between us. Wait a minute, what am I doing? I literally haven't even met this kid and already I'm thinking about him a lot? Fuck, I must be really gay. I looked over at Shiro. Should I ask him? What if he laughs at me, or doesn't believe me? What am I saying he's gay as fuck. "Hey, uhh, Shiro? Can I ask you something?" "Sure Keith, you know I'll answer any questions I can. So what's up?" I took a deep breath. "Shiro.. I think I'm gay." The truck stopped. He looked at me and he said "You think you're what?" I looked down at my hand which were clasped together in my lap. "I think I'm gay. Please don't be mad." I looked up at him out of the corner of my eye. He looked deep in thought. Then he sighed and looked at me "Keith...OH MY GOSH REALLY?!?!?!" He started fangirling and going crazy. "Omfg we have to get home and tell Adam! He's going to love this!" We sped off, down the freeway and went screeching into the driveway. He practically yanked me out of the truck and towards the house. He fumbled with the keys, finally opening the door, and ran inside, dragging me along with him. Adam came running from their bedroom, looking worried. "Takashi, what's wrong? Keith, what did you do this time?" He looks like he's about to give me a mom lecture. Shiro looks like he's about to burst, and when he looks like he just might pop, he says excitedly "Keith thinks he might be gay!" And Adam's eye light up. Him and Shiro start to fangirl together. After they calm down, Adam looks at me and says, "We always knew that this would happen. He is our adoptive son after all." Shiro nodded solemnly. "So...who is it?" Adam asks. "I don't know his name. Or him. But he's really cute, and has these blue eyes..they're like the ocean...and wouldn't mind drowning in that ocean." Shiro laughs. "Aww look Adam he's blushing." "But Takashi, it's not like he knows the boy. And you don't even like the ocean Keith." he says, looking at me. It's only been a few minuets and I already regret telling them. "Look" I sigh "I don't know if I'll like him, but he's the most beautiful person I've even seen, and he's going to the Garrison too. You guys said that you wanted me to make friends, this might be how I make friends. And, and, maybe even a boyfriend." I said, blushing a bit at the last part. Adam sighed "Look Keith, we still love you, and we support you, but be careful. You're only 14, and you haven't even met the boy yet. We just don't want you to get your heart broken. Trust me, we know better than anybody what it's like to fall for a straight boy." Shiro nodded. "Yeah, and not everyone will be as accepting as we are. We just want you to have a good time and make friends." I nodded. "I understand. I'ma go to my room now." As I walked away I heard Adam say "Puberty is gonna hit him like a hurricane." "Yeah, but at least he's how he is. Ain't nobody gonna give him shit."


	3. First Day

No one's POV

"Come on Keith we gotta go or we're gonna be late." Shiro yelled up the stairs. "Takashi, don't yell at him, I'm sure he's on his way." "Adam, I love you, but he's obviously stalling." Adam sighed, "Yeah, I know. Alright you can go get him." Shiro smiled evily. He ran through the house, and came back a few moments later with Keith on his shoulder kicking and punching him. "Shiro I swear to god if you don't put me down RIGHT NOW I'll.." "You'll what?" Shiro snickered. "Me and Adam already put your stuff in the truck, and made sure you have everything you need. So stop being an emo teen and get your ass in the truck. Keith sighed. "Fineee, I'll get in the truck." Shiro put him down, and together they walked out of the house and towards the truck, where Adam was already waiting for them. "And here we have the wild Keith, outside of it's nautral habitat, which is the dark room in the corner of the house. This is a very rare sighting, since they tend to be introverted." He and Shiro laughed at that, while Keith just frowned. "Let's just get this over with." He grumbled, getting in the truck.

Keith POV

Of course Shiro Had to drag me out of the house. What a great start to my day. Not only do I get dragged out of bed, I have to go to SCHOOL. Ughh. We pulled up to the garrison, and that Iverson guy was standing at the front. Apparently you have to say your goodbyes outside, no parents/guardians allowed inside. Luckily, I was relatively strong, since when Shiro went to the gym I sometimes tagged along, so I was able to carry all my stuff by myself. Adam, being like my mom, looked like he was going to cry. "Our little boy's all grown up" he sniffled. I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry Mom, I'll be fine." "Keith." Shiro said in his dad voice. "Sorry Adam. But it's not like you'll be in a different state. You guys both work here, and are teachers. I have a feeling that I'll be closely watched." Shiro sighed "We know Keith, but you tend to..have a..short temper. We don't want you getting kicked out." **(wink wink)** "Shiro, Adam, I'll be fine. I'm not an complete idiot." After I hugged them goodbye, I started to head towards the building. I was almost inside when Iverson stopped me. "You, what's you name kid?" "Keith Kogane." "Ahh yes, Shiro and Adam's boy. I've heard a lot about you. But don't think that you'll be getting any special treatment. I've also heard about your, ah, disiplince issues. I'll be keeping an eye on you." "Yes sir, because stopping me alone and holding up everyone behind me shows that you're not giving me any special treatment." I heard laughing behind me, and Iverson's eyes narrowed. I tried to walk by him, but he grabbed my arm. "Listen here boy, you don't get to come in here and disrespect me. I'll be watching you. Got it?" I chuckled "Yes Sir." He let go, and I walked away, rolling my eyes as I went. As I walked, I thought about what might happen. Maybe I'll meet the blue eyed boy. As I got lost in thought, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around, and was greeted by a short, light brown haired person. They had big glasses, brown eyes, and a green tshirt. "What are you doing here?" they asked inquisitively. I looked around, and realized that I had no idea where I was. I sighed. "Honestly, I have no idea where I am." "So you're lost?" they asked while smirking. I rolled my eyes, "No, when I say I have no idea what I'm doing here, I mean that I know exactly where I am." They laughed,and so did I. "The names Pidge." they said, extending their hand. I shook it "And I'm Keith." They looked at me, as if they were analyzing me. "Keith? Keith Kogane? Shiro's little brother?" "Well, him and Adam treat me like I'm their kid, but yeah. Why?" "My older brother Matt works with them. He says that they talk a LOT about you." I laughed. "Yeah, sounds like them. So..you're Matt's little sis? I thought your name was Katie?" She shrugged "It is, but I prefer to go by Pidge. Sounds better than Katie." I nodded in agreement. "So do you know where we are?" "Yes actually. We're pretty close to the dorms, come on I'll show you." She motioned for me to follow her down the halls. When we finally got there, she showed me the dorm listings. "Looks like you got some guy named James Griffin, in room B13. I got some kid named Veronica. Hopefully she's not a stiff." I nodded. "Yeah, that would suck. Well it was nice meeting you Pidge, I'll see you around." She nodded and walked away, presumably towards her room. I sighed. Guess it's time to meet this James kid.


	4. James Griffin

Keith's POV

I walked into my rooms, and looked around. There was a bunk bed, and a couch, along with 2 beds and dressers. The top bunk was already taken, presumably by James, so I put my stuff in the bottom. **(wink wink)** We had a decent sized bathroom with 2 cabinets, a walk in shower and a bath tub. After snooping around, I decided that I should actually be productive for once, and started to put my stuff away. After I finished, I flopped down on my bunk and pulled out my phone. After a while, I heard knocking on the door " Come in" I yelled, not even bothering to see ho it was. They walked in and shut the door. They walked over and said " It's Keith, right? I'm James Griffin. It's nice to meet you." I looked up and HOLY SHIT NOT NOW GAYNESS!He was HOT! Even at 14, he obviously had some muscle, and had light brown eyes and hair. I realized that I had been staring, so I stood up and stuck my hand out " Y-yeah, I'm Keith." Smooth Keith, real smooth. I could feel a light blush on my cheeks, and I think he's blushing a bit too? After he shook my hand he said " Well I'm gonna go hang with some people I met, you wanna come with me?" Fuck he was cute. "Yeah, sure." We set off down the halls, eventually coming to what looked like a giant living room with couches, beanbags, a TV, and a few other things. He started heading towards a group of people, who looked about our age. I recognized some of them from orientation, and luckily, Pidge was there too. "Keith! Wassup man!" "Hey Pidge." James looked surprised. "You guys know each other?" He asked me, looking a little sad. "We met earlier. Her brother works with my brother and his husband and they talk a lot, so we practically know each other already." A little hope seemed to fill his eyes again. Pidge cackled evily, Yes, I know just about every stupid thing he's ever done, and vice versa." James smiled, along with the others. 

"Well this is Kinkade, (pointing to the dark skinned boy) that's Veronica,(pointing to the other girl), you already know Pidge,and that's Hunk,(pointing towards the chubby one with the yellow headband. Guys, this is Keith, he's my roommate." James seemed a little proud saying that last part. Kinkade and Veronica looked at each other knowingly. "So, Keith, whaddya think of James so far?" Veronica asked me. I shrugged. "He seems nice, and so far, he's not annoying or a pain in the ass, so I think being roommates will work out pretty well." James smiled at that. Veronica and Kinkade shared another one of those looks, and Kinkade said "Give it time, he'll prove to be a pain in the ass sooner or later." "Anyway," the boy named Hunk said, " Who's your brother? You said he works at the Garrison?" I nodded. "He's Takashi Shirogane, but I call him Shiro. His husband's Adam, and they practically raised me. (I looked towards the ground) Our mom died when I was really young, and our dad was a firefighter who died saving some people from a burning building." What the hell was I doing? Telling these people my life story. When I looked up, they all seemed sad. "That's rough buddy". Then, to my great surprise, Hunk hugged me. It felt like I was being hugged by a marshmallow. I kinda like it. He let go and sat down. Then, to my greater surprise, James looked at me and said, with sadness in his eyes, "I'm so sorry" and then he hugged me. And unlike when Hunk hugged me I hugged back. He held me for a minute, and I felt Pidge pat my shoulder, in an attempt to comfort me. After James let go I said, "It's okay guys, it all happened a long time ago, I just wanna focus on the present." They all nodded, and we all sat down again. I was going to sit next to Pidge, but I ended up next to James and Veronica, which I certainly didn't have a problem with. Was it just me, or were they trying to get me as close to James as possible?


	5. Lance

Keith POV 

Time skip of a few days

Me and the group hung out in the "lounge room" as they call it, a lot,but then on the third day all of the students got called to the cafeteria, wherever that is. After getting lost a few times, we eventually got there and found some seats. There were a lot more people than I thought there'd be. While we were going to sit down, some kid ran up and almost tackled Veronica in a hug. "Ronnny! Long time no see sis!" I looked up and saw the blue eyed boy hugging her. "Calm down Lance, you saw me this morning." Turning to us she said "Guys, this is my LITTLE brother, Lance. Lance, this is Pidge, Hunk, Kinkade, James, and Keith" pointing to all of us respectively. Podge grunted in acknowledgement, Hunk waved and smiled, while Kinkade and James just nodded. I didnt react at all. Lance smiled brightly. "Well, nice to have such a welcoming crowd. And I'm only a few seconds younger than you Ronny. Well I already know Hunk, he's my roommate, I've seen Pidge before, and I saw you staring at me at orientation." On that last part he looked at me pointedly. Veronica rolled her eyes "Lance, just because someone is staring at you, dosen't mean that they like you." Lance looked offended "GaSp, of course its does. Who could resist me?" Cue the diva crossed arms and lean back. I shrugged "I've lived in Texas my whole life. You don't see too many people with blue eyes. It's mostly brown eyed people here." Kinkade and Pidge nodded in agreement. It was nice to know that I had fellow Texans among me. Lance stared at me, then cocked an eyebrow "Oh really? Mostly brown eyes? Then why are your purple? Seems like a weird eye color I'd you ask me." James looked about ready to kill Lance, along with Pidge. I put a hand on James knee as a sign of I got this. I stood up and got right in front of Lance and crossed my arms. " I have purple eyes because I was born that way. And if you were listening I said MOSTLY brown eyes. Not all. And I don't like the fact that you're paying so much attention to me. It seems like you're getting a crush on me, and I'm sorry, but you're just not my type." I them swaggered away and into the hallway. I looked back, and Lance was staring after me, speechless. Everyone one else was laughing at Lance's expression, but James seemed, different from the others. He was laughing at Lance, but there was something else in his eyes, but I couldn't figure out what. I walked out to the hall, waited a minute or so, and then walked back in, with a smile on my face. When I got back to our table, Pidge. Hunk and Veronica congratulated me. Pidge said "Man, I thought he'd never shut up. Nice burn Keith." And high fives me. Hunk said "Honestly that's the first time I've ever seen him quiet. Teach me your ways Keith, or I'm never gonna survive school with him talking all the time. " at that we all laughed, except for Lance who had taken a seat beside his sister. Veronica smiled "Hunks right. Lance talk a LOT, and flirts with anything that moves. It's good that you finally put him into his place." She laughed along with the others. James smiled evily "So Lance, why you still sitting with us? You're staying at the sight of your last public insult. " Me and James shared a look. "Yeah, can't Loverboy Lance find a few girls to sit with?" Veronica and Pidge started cracking up, which got the rest of us started. "Shut up Keith. At least I can get girls, because I don't have an ugly mullet." Lance smirked. Seemingly satisfied with his comeback. I smiled sweetly, and was about to say something back, when James stepped in."His eyes are a pretty violet naturally Lance, its possible. And Keith may have a mullet, but at least he can pull it off. And at least he doesn't have the same hairstyle as half the school." He smirked at Lance's shocked expression. He frowned, but didn't respond, and leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. I smiled, and we all(minus Lance) started laughing. But then the presentation started and we all got quiet. We looked up at the stage, and there was Iverson, Shiro, Adam, Matt, Crutis, and a few others that I didn't recognize. Then Iverson started talking. Like at orientation, I started to get lost in my head. This was how the blue eyed boy behaved? And he was obviously straight. It's a good thing that I told Shiro and Adam. I will never like Lance that way. I didn't realize, but apparently Iverson was talking about something important, so James started poking me. "Keith. Keith wake up and listen!" I looked up at him, he had two three inches on me and said "I'm not asleep, I'm just thinking." "Well can you please listen? I don't want you to get in trouble. We all saw when Iverson was giving you a hard time earlier. If he sees you sleeping who knows what he'll do." His eyes were a mix of concern and something else I couldn't identify. "Fine, I'll listen" I sighed. Iverson started talking about our classes and course work. "You'll have robotics, engineering, along with hand to hand combat, flight simulations, space gear maintenance and functions, along with a few others and your core classes. I expect you all to try you hardest, as the top 50 in the class will be considered as future astronauts and space explorers for the Garrison. That is all. Return to your previous activities." We all got up and headed back towards the lounge room, and you could feel the excitement in the air at the announcement. While everyone was talking I noticed that almost everybody was going to the lounge room, and I knew that it would fill up fast. so I pulled on James's arm "James, everybody going to the lounge room, why don't we just hang out in our room with the rest of the gang?" He nodded "Yeah sounds good. Wait, we didn't leave it really messy did we?" I thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so. I'll go ahead and check, and you can tell them to meet up in our room." I started to walk away before stopping and looking around. "Keith, do you remember which one it is?" James asked, with a smile on his face. I grinned sheepishly. "No, I forgot." He smiled "It's B13." "Thanks James." I ran off down the hall. I didn't want my new friends to think that I was a slob.


	6. Beds and Bets

James POV

As I watched Keith run away, I heard the rest of the group catch up with me. "Where'd Keith go?" Pidge asked. "He want to clean up our room. He thought that instead of going to the lounge like everyone else, we could hang out in me and his room. If that's cool with you guys?" They all nodded in agreement. Except for Lance. "Why your room? Why not me and Hunk's room? Or Ronny and Pidges?" I rolled my eyes. "Because, Lance, Keith thought of it and was nice enough to offer to let you guys hang out there. You don't have to come if you don't want to." I said, crossing my arms. "Well wouldn't you need permission to go in his room?" Lance asked. I rolled my eyes again. "Lance, I'm his roommate. I don't need his permission to go in the room." "Oh." Lance said, looking down at the ground. Veronica rolled her eyes, along with Pidge. Having these two around each other was going to be interesting. Pidge sighed. "Let's just go already, I'm sure your room isn't that messy. It is only the first day." We started walking down the maze of hallways, with me and Kinkade in the front, then Veronica and Pidge, then Hunk and Lance. As we were walking Kinkade said"So, Keith huh?" I immediately turned and started blushing "K-Keith? Keith what?" He smiled. "You like him, don't you?" I sighed, and nodded. Kinkade and I have known each other forever. I used to live in Texas, but had to move to Arizona because of my dad's job. But we kept in touch, and were great friends. We told each other everything. He was the only person who knew I was gay, besides Veronica. And she could be, "suggestive" about it. Veronica walked up next to me and said "It's only the first day, and you just met him. You couldn't have done anything too messy already right?" she said with a smirk. "Veronica" I said, still blushing lightly, "Nothing happened alright. Especially not THAT." "Alright" she said, but she was clearly messing with me. She did this all the time. "But Pidge already figured out your gay so.." she put her hands up like, what are you gonna do. "She WHAT?" I whisper screamed, worried that she'd do something. Veronica nodded. "Yeah, but you'll be fine. She's perfectly fine with that. Also, it's a little obvious that you like Keith. You said that he has "pretty violent " eyes." "Ughh" I groaned. "Why is life so hard. Seriously, WHY?" Kinkade shrugged "I don't know man, it just is." We stopped talking and walked silently for the rest of the way. When I spotted our room I stopped "Well, here we are" and opened the door." It literally looked exactly the same except.. something was different. I looked at the bunk beds, and noticed that SOMEONE had moved my stuff to the bottom bunk. "Keithh." I whined, and he peeked his head out from the top bunk. "Yess James?" while smiling innocently. "Why'd you move my stuff? I had the top bunk." He just looked dow at me and smiled "Because, since I can't stand higher than you, I'm going to sleep higher than you." he said, grinning the whole time. I rolled my eyes "Finee. But then I get the bigger dresser." I smirked. "What? NO! I get it!"

Veronica POV

While me and the others sat down on the floor and at the desks, Keith and James started arguing like an old married couple. "Why'd you move my stuff? I had the top bunk." Keith just looked down at James and smiled "Because, since I can't stand higher than you, I'm going to sleep higher than you." Then they started arguing over who was going to get the bigger dresser, and every other piece of furniture in the room. I leaned over to Kinkade and Pidge "Ten bucks they James tells him by the end of the week." They nodded "15 they kiss by next week." Kinkade said. Pidge smiled devilishly"Upping the stakes are we? 30 they're dating by next week." Me and Kinkade looked at each other, then nodded "Deal." We all shook on it. Why do I get the feeling that Pidge is gonna walk away next week 60 bucks richer?


	7. 2 Truths and a Lie

Veronica POV 

After the two lovebirds stopped arguing, we all sat in a circle in silence. Pidge, being Pidge, grinned evily, "So..who wants to play truth or dare?" Me and Kinkade, knowing Pidge, knew that she would try to put James and Keith in an uncomfortable situation, along with the rest of us. "How about no." I said, glaring at Pidge. "Why don't we go around and do two truths and a lie. That's always interesting." The others nodded in agreement "Good. Pidge, you first." She smiled like the little devil she is. "I'm a tech wiz, my brother works here, I've had a significant other." I smiled, knowing the answer right away. I looked at the others, and Keith, James, Kinkade all had knowing looks on their faces. Hunk and Lance, however, looked completely clueless. Hunk shrugged "I got nothing. I don't know you that well yet." Lance smiled, "The lie is that you're a tech genius." Pidge started cackling, "No, I am. I could hack your phone in a matters of seconds. I've never had a significant other. I've never even been on a date." Keith smiled "Trust me Pidge, I know." They both laughed. I noticed James had a thinking looks on his face, as if he were thinking, well I'm going to change that.

James POV

Keiths never been on a date? That'll change, eventually. Just as soon as I ask him out. Veronica looked around the circle, analyzing us and trying to pick who would go next."Hunk, why don't you go, we don't know you very well." Hunk nodded "Well, let's see...uhhh..I'm an excellent cook, I'm good with tech, I'm Hawaiian." I thought for a second, before speaking up "You're not Hawaiian." Hunk smiled "Correct. I'm actually Samoan. And I make a mean chocolate cake." Lance nodded"Yeah, I haven't had his cake, but he brought some cookies to the dorm and they were the best that I've ever tasted." "Yeah, I would've brought you guys some, but SOMEONE Cough Lance Cough ate them all. Ooh, maybe there's a student kitchen here! Then I could make you guys some!" Everyone seemed to like that idea. Again, Veronica looks around, and her eyes landed on me. "James, your turn." I had to think for a minute. I definitely didn't trust this Lance kid, even if he was Veronicas brother, so I can't tell them that I'm gay. "I used to live in Texas, I want to be a fighter pilot, my favorite subject is math."Since Veronica and Kinkade already knew the answer, they let the rest of them try and figure it out. Keith looked at me, and gave me a quick up down. "Hmm, the math one is a lie. You don't strike me as the smart type. N-Not i-in a bad way o-f course" he said, blushing a little. He's cute when he blushes I thought, which of course made me blush. Fuck, Keith was gonna kill my gay ass. I smiled at him "You're right. I hate math. And it's okay, I get that I don't look like the brainy type. My face and muscles must make it seem that way." Everyone laughed a bit, and Keith giggled and then smiled at me. HE FUCKING GIGGLED. And it was adorable. He also really did have beautiful violet eyes. Keith blushed and turned away from me quickly, and I realized I was staring and then I blushed too. Veronica, Kinkade and Pidge all smiled at this. Knowing them, they had probably made a bet regarding me and Keith's relationship. Veronica then decided that Keith would be he next one to go. Lance smirked "Yeah Mullet, lets hear it." I have never wanted to kill someone so badly. Keith smiled at him sweetly at him "I already told you, you aren't my type. So stop flirting with me." Lance flushed deep red and pouted. Veronica was laughing her head off. "I-i-i'm sorry, but damm. Lance thats twice! Get REJECTED" We all laughed at this. They sure were an interesting pair of siblings. I looked over at Keith, who looked deep in thought. "Well, I'm an orphan, with my mom dying when I was young and my dad being a firefighter who died in a fire, I want to be a fighter pilot, I'm good at math." I smiled when I heard that he also wanted to be a fighter pilot. We had more in common than I thought. He actually looked happy to be playing this game. Lance smirked "It's obvious." And thats when I knew that he was gonna mess up.


	8. Crying

Lance smirked. "It's obvious." And I knew that he was gonna mess up. Lance continued "The orphan one is a lie. No idiot would tell some people he just met that he was an orphan, and if he does, it's not true." Everyone looked at Lance, absolutely shocked. Then hell broke loose. Keith ran into the bathroom, looking like he was about to cry, and Veronica smacked Lance, while Pidge just stared. Hunk looked so hurt. But then again, he had to room with this kid the entire time he was at the Garrison. Kinkade had walked over to the bathroom door, trying to get Keith to open it. I walked over to him "Any luck?" I asked, but he just shook his head. "Keith, listen, I'm sure Lance didn't mean it. He's just being his usual idiotic dipshit self." Kinkade said, while glaring at Lance, who was being scolded by Veronica. "G-g-oo a-way! L-leave me ALONE!" Keith cried through the door. That pissed me off. I turned and walked towards Lance. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID! YOU JUST MET HIM AND YOU'RE ALREADY TREATING HIM LIKE SHIT! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" I roared. Lance looked genuinely afraid. Makes sense, I have a few inches on him."James!" Pidge yelled. "You're not helping! Go help Kinkade get Keith out of the bathroom. Me and Veronica will deal with Lance." On that last part she glared at Lance, and he gulped. "Get.Out." I growled at Lance. I then went over to where Kinkade had gotten Keith to open the door a little bit. Veronica then grabbed Lance by the collar and dragged him out of the room, with Hunk following. Pidge then walked towards us and knocked gently on the door. "Keith?" she asked in a soft voice, like one might use on a wounded animal, "Can you open the door? Veronica took Lance out and is taking care of him. It's just me, Kinkade and James now." Keith then opened the door all the way, eyes red, but tears gone. It saddened me to see him like this. He stepped out of the bathroom and made his way to the couch slowly, and then plopped down, lying facing the wall. Pidge sighed. I walked over to him and sat near his legs, "Keith, are you alright?" he shook his head no. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, hoping that he'd open up to us. He looked over at me, thought for a moment, then nodded his head yes. He sat up, and brought his knees to his chest. Kinkade sat on his other side, and Pidge stood in front of him. "Do you wanna tell us all of it? Or just a little bit?" she asked, still in the same soft voice. He slowly nodded.

Keith POV

I guess I could open up to them. I've only known them for a few days, but they've shown that they really care about me, especially Pidge and James. He even called my eyes a "pretty violet". I sighed, breathing in slowly. "Lance isn't the only person I've met that thinks that isn't true. I've had people in my other schools think that it was a lie too. They think that it's just a way to get special attention or treatment. But it's not. It just get's me pitying looks and getting asked "Do you want to talk about it?" all the time." I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see Kinkade patting it. "Keith I'm sorry that that happened to you. But I know Lance. He's very..annoying and..impulsive. He often speaks before thinking. I'm sure he didn't mean it." I nodded. "Yeah, I barely know him, butI can already tell that he's an idiot" Pidge said with her signtaure smile on her face. "Don't worry, I already have an idea on how to get him back. I just need to get his phone for a few minutes.." I smiled at her weakly. "Thanks Pidge." She nodded, the left the room. Kinkade patted my shoulder one more time,and gave me a warm smile, then followed her out. I looked over a James, he hadn't said anything the entire time. "James? Are you alright?" Strange, just a few minutes ago he was asking me the same exact question. He looked up and met my eyes. His were filled with sadness and that same other thingsthat I still couldn't identify. "Keith" he said softly,"I'm so sorry, I had no idea." I shrugged. "It's okay, I didn't tell you." "No it's not Keith. You shouldn't have had to go through that. I'm sorry." And then, for the second time, he hugged me. As we hugged, I felt his breath on my neck. It tickled, and I let out a little giggle. James let go and looked at me "What's so funny?" he asked, with a smile on his face. I smiled back "Nothing. I'm just gald that you're my roommate and not Lance." He laughed and said "Me too Keith. Me too. Our eyes met again, and I got lost. His eyes were a light brown, but also a little golden, like the desert surrounding my house. I didn't realize it, but we both slowly began to lean closer to each other, and I could feel his breath on my face..wait a minute, what's happening. I backed away quickly, and so did he. My face was on fire, and I could see that his was too. "I-Uhh-sorry." I managed to squeak out. "I-Its okay." James said, and his face was still pink. "I-I'm gonna go wash my face. It's getting late anyway, we should get to bed. I leaped up from the couch and ran into the bathroom, after quickly grabbing some clothes from my (slightly smaller) dresser. When I got in there I immediately shut the door, and stared into the mirror. What was wrong with me? I had only just met James a few days ago, but I was already head over heels. Ughh why did I have to be so gay because of one boy? And that boy was LANCE! Scratch that, it was Lance's eyes. What the hell am I saying no it wasn't! I thought I was before I even came to the Garrison, I just had to tell Shiro and Adam to be sure of it. Uggh!

James POV

His eyes were beautiful. Deep violet, staring into them was like staring into a galaxy. Swirling colors, with stars in them when he's happy or laughs. And that giggle! It was still adorable. And then we almost kissed! Oh god I wish I had kissed him! He even apologized for it. And he blushed so much after backing away. Maybe he likes me too! Maybe he's gay! I sighed. This boy was going to be the death of me. But if I died because of Keith, maybe it wouldn't be the worst way to go.


	9. WTF Lance

Veronica POV

After I dragged Lance out of the room, I slapped him again. "WHAT THE HELL LANCE?!? What have I told you? What has Mami told you? Think before you speak! You idiot! You know, James is right. You literally just met Keith, and you're already treating him like shit. He really IS an orphan. What the HELL is your problem with him? Everyone else likes him! What is it with you?" Lance looked at me, mad all of a sudden "Chill out Ronny! I didn't know! I barely know the kid." I smacked my forehead. How stupid could my brother be. Sometimes I can't believe that we're related. "LaNcE, that's literally WHAT I JUST SAID! You met him TODAY, and you start flirting with him. He says no, then you insult his hair, and THEN YOU ACCUSE HIM OF LYING ABOUT BEING AN ORPHAN?!?!!?" Realization filled his eyes. "Ohhh. Oops." he grinned sheepishly. "My bad." he started to walk away, but I grabbed his arm. "Oh no, you don't get to just say "My bad". The next time you see him, you're going to apologize. And after you apologize to Keith, you're going to apologize to James." "WhAt?!? WhY? I didn't do anything to James!" I rolled my eyes. "Yes you did Lance. When he so kindly invited us to his room, you started complaining about it being his room." Lance sighed heavily. "Fineee. I'll apologize. Can I go now." I nodded and let go of his arm. As he started to walk away I told him "Oh, and Lance, if you do that again, me and Pidge won't stop James from getting you. In fact, we might help him." I began heading back toward me and Pidge's room, muttering the whole time. "Stupid Lance..always being an idiot.." I got to our room and opened the door. Pidge had made some kind of tent on her bottom bunk with a blanket, and I pushed it aside. "Whatcha doing?" The looked up from their laptop, glasses gleaming in the light, and they grinned devilishly. "Working on a way to get back at your dear brother Lance." "Ooh, how can I help?" They smiled. "I was hoping you would say that. Is there any chance that you could get me his phone?"


	10. Awkward Gays

Keith POV

Waking up the next day was..awkward, to say the least. Me and James both woke up around 6:30, and before he could say anything, I grabbed my stuff and ran into the bathroom. What if I messed everything up when we almost kissed? What is wrong with me? I don't even know if he likes boys or not. Why did he have to be so hot? With caramel brown eyes, with fleck of gold in them.."..Keith? You done?" I heard through the door. Oh yeah, getting ready. I rushed to throw on my Garrison uniform, and opened the door. Apparently James had been leaning against it, and since it's an in door, when I opened it he fell. Right on top of me."Oof." James grunted, then looked me in the eyes. His face immediately went pink, and I could tell that my face was pink too. Fuck those eyes, they were cute. Was it just me or were our faces getting closer again? "U-uhh,James? Can you get of of me?" I asked, trying to avoid making this even more awkward than it already is. Him face went an even deeper shade of pink, and he stood up. He offered me his hand, which I took, and pulled me up off the ground. He pulled me with such force that when I stood, I staggered a bit, and almost fell. James stepped forward, ready to catch me in case I fell. "Oh, sorry Keith. Are you okay?" I simply nodded yes, and went to my dresser and desk to get the rest of my stuff. When we eventually got to the cafeteria, we sat in our usual table, by the back, with the rest of the gang. Veronica took one look at us and whispered to Pidge. I wonder what they did now.

Veronica POV

When I saw the boys, I knew that something had happened. The gay tension between the two was getting thicker. I whispered to Pidge "Why do I get the feeling that you're going to win the bet?" she smiled and whispered back "Because I normally do. I have a pretty good gaydar. And it's kind of obvious that James like Keith, and I think Keith like James, but they don't wanna tell the other because it would mess up their relationship." I nodded. That sound like James. He wouldn't even think about saying anything unless he really like Keith, or unless Keith said the he was gay/bi. I sighed "What if they don't do anything by the end of the bet? It's already Friday, and unless James says anything today or tomorrow, I've already lost. And it doesn't look like that going to happen." Pidge shrugged. "If next week happens, and nothing in their relationship has changed, then we all lose. No one gets any money. Unless we make another bet a different time." I nodded. Kinkade, who was sitting right next to us said "You guys need to work on your whispering. I heard everything. You're lucky that Hunk's sitting next to you and focusing on his food. And next time we're talking about the bet, include me." I grinned sheepishly "Sorry Kinkade. But now you know." he rolled his eyes and continued eating. Pidges glasses shined "Ooh, Veronica, did you get Lance's phone?" Since we had given up on whispering, everybody at the table heard us. "Why do you need Lance's phone?" Hunk said, looking at us curiously. James smiled "Pidge, are you gonna hack his phone?" She smiled brightly "WHY yes, yes I am. For what he did to Keith last night. Speaking of which, what happened after we left?" she looked at me and Kinkade on the last part, cause we all knew something was up. Both the boys turned pink and stuttered out "N-nothing!" looking away from each other and continuing to eat. Kinkade smiled and mouthed to me and Pidge "Something definitely happened." and we nodded. Knowing these two, it could be years before they told one another. Little did I know at the time, but it would be two years before they told each other. 


	11. Payback pt.1

Veronica POV

Hunk smiled once he learned of Pidges plan to get back at Lance. "What if I got his phone? I am his roommate after all. I shouldn't be too hard. He's probably still asleep." I looked at Pidge, silently asking if that was alright. I may have been helping, but it was Pidges plan. She smiled "Thanks Hunk. That'd be great. But why do you want to get back at Lance?" I looked at Pidge questioningly "It's Lance, why wouldn't he?" "I'm just saying,Hunk, you seem more like the guy to stays neutral or tries to stop us from doing this. No offense of course." He smiled "None taken. But Lance is the worst roommate ever. I got there first, and had my stuff in the the top bunk, along with the cabinets and dresser, I had all my stuff set up. Then when I came to hang out with you guys, he got there and moved all my stuff. He put my stuff in the bottom bunk-" at this point he got cut off when James said "Huh, sounds like you Keith." with a smile on his face. Keith faked gasped "GaSp! Really? Well who made a giant argument over who got the _**slightly**_ bigger dresser? Need a hint? It was you." he said, with a bit of attitude. "Hey, I only did that because you stole my bunk and took the biggest cabinet in the bathroom!" "They're both the exact same size! All of our stuff could fit on one shelf!" The two fought like this for a while, and while it was very entertaining to watch, I wanted to know what Lance had done to make someone as sweet as Hunk mad enough to steal his phone. "Guys come on, stop fighting. I wanna hear the rest of the story." they completely ignored me. "Guys. GUYS!" they finally heard me on the last one, but continued to death stare each other. "Jeez, you two fight like an old married couple." This turned them both red. Keith stuttered out "N-no we don't!" neither of them said anything, so I turned to Hunk "So, what were you saying before you were interrupted by Mr. and Mr. Griffin-Kogane?" I stared at the two blushing boys after that, who both were beet red and silently staring at their food. "Well, not only did he move my stuff from my bunk, he also cleared out my dresser and cabinet in the bathroom, and threw all my stuff on the bottom bunk. He then filled BOTH cabinets with hair products, face masks, and other stuff in small bottles. He filled the entire dresser with clothes, and some of his desk drawers too." I sighed "Yeah, that sounds like Lance. He's obsessed with facial care. He does face masks all the time. If he gets so much as what looks like a pimple, he freaks out. I feel bad for you Hunk, those things smell terrible." "Yeah, and when I told Lance that, and he said "It lessens your nose hairs." Why would I care if there's hair in my nose? It a nose. Nobody really looks at it." We all started laughing at this, even the gays. And Lance, being Lance, chose that exact moment to walk into the mess hall, with A FACE MASK ON! We all started cracking up, barely able to breathe from how much we were laughing. "What's so funny?" Lance asked. "Y-Y-your f-face!" Keith said breathlessly. Lance's expression went dark. He leaned in close to Keith's face, slamming his hands on the table. We all stopped laughing, and Keith leaned back. "My what?" Lace growled , leaning closer to Keith, who leaned even farther back, he was practically lying on Jame's shoulder. "He just said you face man, it's a joke. Lighten up." Pidge said, trying to calm Lance down. "I don't care." he growled. He turned toward Keith, and got right in his face, "Listen here MULLET, nobody insults me. But you did it twice yesterday, along with your little boyfriend too." both Keith and James turned pink at this, since Keith was almost sitting in James's lap by now. "But nobody, NOBODY insults my face." By now, Keith looked scared. James put his arm around him, pulling him back and closer to himself. "Chill out Lance, we were just joking around. Veronica was telling us about how you're super obsessed with your skin care. You just happened to walk in at the right time."

James POV

How dare this bitch act like that. He just can't take a joke. And treating MY Keith like this, especially after what he did last night. Oh hell no. "Chill out Lance, we were just joking around. Veronica was telling us about how you're super obsessed with your skin care. You just happened to walk in at the right time." He looked straight at me, scanning my face, as if looking at me would tell him if I was lying or not. Then he backed up, and turned towards Veronica and Hunk "Okay, you two, before now, you were the only ones who knew that I did face masks. So which one of you ratted me out." I silently put Keith back into his seat "Hey, you okay?" I asked, worried for him "Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't think he'd do that. It was actually funny. His mask started chipping, and it smelled like rotten eggs." we both laughed at that, and I saw that familiar spark return to his eye. The ones that make them look like galaxies. Lance was still trying to stare down Veronica and Hunk, but it obviously wasn't working well. They were both trying not to laugh. Lance was frowning, which was causing his mask to crack and fall. After a big chunk fell into Hunk's food, they both burst out laughing, along with Kinkade. Lance obviously knew that he wasn't going to get an answer from them two, so he turned toward Kinkade. "Kinkade, you're nice. Maybe you'll tell me." he looked at Lance innocently "And why would I do that?" "I'll give you ten bucks." Lance said with a smirk, knowing that it was a done deal. Kinkade looked over to Veronica and Hunk "Sorry guys, but ten bucks is ten bucks." he turned towards Lance and stuck his hand out "Money first, then you'll get your answer." Lance sighed and handed Kinkade the bill. "It was both of them, they also said that it smells and we all agree." he said, with a smirk on his face. Lance gasped "What! I've been betrayed! And by my on sister, and my best friends! The pain, the pAiN." Pidge rolled her eyes "Lance stop being a drama queen. Even you have to admit that they smell." I leaned to Keith and whispered in his ear "But not as bad as his breath." and he giggled. That cute. I guess I was staring, because he turned a light shade of pink and asked "What? Did part of Lance's mask fall on my face?" I laughed a little. "No, well," I scanned his face, maybe looking a second too long at his eyes, "No, you just have a nice laugh. I like hearing it." I felt myself turn pink at the words, and Keith turned a darker shade of pink. "U-uh thanks, I guess." "No problem." We looked back at where Lance was still being dramatic, and Pidge looked like she was going to kill him, along with Kinkade. It takes a LOT to make Kinkade mad. He's the nicest person I know, and the most level headed too. And when he got mad, he got mad. I have a feeling that Kinkade is going to help Pidge with her plan to get back at Lance. "Lance" I asked, "Aren't you forgetting to do something? He rolled his eyes then turned towards the gay "I'm sorry." Then he went back to being dramatic about me and Hunk's "betrayal".


	12. Payback pt.2

Pidge POV

I swear to god if Lance doesn't shut up I'm going to kill him. I think Kinkade agrees with me, but then he does something that surprises me. He stands and pats Lance on the back "Lance, how about you go wash that mask off your face. I've heard from my sister that it there's cracks in the mask, it'll leave lines on your face." Lance started to panic. "Really? Oh no! I gotta go. Thanks Kinkade. All is forgiven!" and with that he ran off down the hall, nearly sliding into the wall when he turned a corner. Kinkade turned to us and smirked. "I don't have a sister. But.." he pulled out a phone "I do have Lances phone." and he smiled mischievously. "Whoa! How'd you do that?" He shrugged "It's simple really. My brother taught me how to do it. You pat their shoulder and talk to them, distracting them, then you reach into their pocket an viola! You have their phone or wallet." "And why exactly did you learn this?" maybe there was hope for the kid to be evil yet. "For a magic show my brother and I did for the school talent show. We needed a volunteer, and we picked the principal. We took his car keys, wallet, and school keys. I got 50 bucks out of the wallet, and my brother got 60. Then we gave it all back. His things, not the money." everyone laughed at that. I smiled. Maybe there was hope. "Well, that was a great story, but I'm gonna need Lance's phone now." Kinkade handed it over. "What are you gonna do Pidge?" Hunk asked. I sighed. Hunk was simply to innocent. "Well Hunk, I'm going to hack into it. Then, I'm gonna download his texts, gallery, and search history for future blackmail purposes. Then i'm gonna set an alarm for it during Mr.Iverson class, and it's going to blare "American Idiot", but a version I edited, where it says Iverson's a idiot." Hunk looked at me with wide eyes and whispered "Really?" I nodded, "Yes, really. And I'm gonna change his password, so he can't turn it off." "I don't know Pidge, that seems like a little much." Veronica said. "But this is revenge for all the stuff Lance did to Keith and James, and the stuff he did to you in the past." She smiled "Well, then by all means, let's do it." I plugged his phone into mine, and started to type furiously on the screen. "But what's the new password gonna be?" James asked. I smiled evilly "It's gonna be a voice command, "Keith is awesome." It's the last thing he'd think of, and it'll kill Lance to say that." James smiled "Well, you're not wrong..." which caused Keith to smile brightly. "I love this plan. And the best part is, we all have that class together!' he said excitedly. "I can't wait to see the look on his face!"

Lance chose that exact moment to walk into the cafeteria, head held high. "Pidge, hurry!" Veronica whispered in my ear. "I'm trying!" Lance walked up just as I finished. I quickly unplugged the two phones and put his on the table. He walked up with a smile on his face "Check it out, no lines." he said, pointing to his face. "That's great buddy! " Hunk said. "Oh, by the way, you left your phone here earlier." and he handed it to Lance. "Thanks man! I was wondering where it was." then his eyes got huge "Holy shit, we have three minutes to get to class!" All of our eyes went wide. We stood up and ran to dump our food and trays. Me and Hunk sprinted down the hall to robotics, with the others not far behind us. Keith and Veronica went to math, Lance and James to science, and Kinkade went to engineering. He had admitted to me and Veronica earlier that he actually liked not having any of us in that class. He "Finally got some peace and quiet." Me and Hunk ran into the classroom just as the bell rang. As we sat down, I let out a sigh of relief. We were on time. I could only hope the other had made it too.


	13. Payback pt.3

Keith POV

Me and Veronica barely made it into class on time. We ran to our seat, huffing and puffing. The teacher paid us no mind, instead he began writing todays lesson on the board. It was pretty easy, so me and Veronica finished quickly. She looked at me, then whispered "So, James,huh?" I started blushing crazily "W-w-what do you mean? James what?" I stuttered. "You like him, don't you?" "N-n-no! What? That's crazy! W-why would you think that?" "It's really obvious. You blush almost every time you talk to him." I sighed. "Just promise me that you won't tell anyone. It's kind of personal, and I've never had a crush on anyone before." she nodded "I won't tell a soul." "Not even Pidge?" I questioned. She nodded "Not even Pidge." but an idea popped in my head "You also can't attempt or actually communicate with anybody in the universe about this either." "Fuck! You closed my loophole." "Veronica, please? For me?" I gave her my best puppy eyes. She looked at me and sighed. "Fine. I promise." I smiled brightly. My secret was safe with her. "So.." she began "What do you like about him?" I sighed. " I don't really know. It's just....something about him. But I definitely like his eyes. And he's hot. And he's so nice to me..I don't know what it is exactly. I just like, him." Veronica nodded "I see. That's gonna make being roommates with him complicated." I nodded "But I can't tell him because it might mess up our friendship. I don't want to take the risk." She nodded and we sat in silence for the rest of the class.

Time skip 

We were all in Iversons reading class, waiting for Lance's phone to go off. Lunch had been lots of whispering and laughs, with Lance just sitting there looking confused and occasionally asking "What's so funny?", which just caused us to laugh more. Now we were in class, just waiting for it to go off. Iverson started to explain today's lesson "Okay cadets, today we'll be using names and describing words in poetry. You will also be identifying them in text. Does anyone have an example of a name and a following descriptive word?" Several hand shot up, and he picked Lance. "Mr.Mclain. what is your answer?" Lance opened his mouth to speak, and then, Pidges alarm went off. It started on "IVERSONS AN IDIOT" and he went beet red. Lance looked shocked "I'm sorry sir, I have no idea what's happening. It must be malfunctioning." Me and Pidge looked at each other, and started laughing. Soon the whole class was laughing, and Lance was beet red since he couldn't get his phone to stop. Iverson walked over to him and said "Give it here boy! I think I know how to shut it up." Lance silently handed him the phone. Iverson looked at it, then threw it on the ground and stomped on it a few times. "There, now its quiet." He looked at Lance disapprovingly "Mr.Mclain, what is the meaning of this? You're normally one of my best behaved students." He shook his head "I don't know what happened I'd never so this on purpose. I swear, I didn't do it." Lance said. "Well then who did? I don't have all day McClain." "I don't know.." Lance trailed off. Iverson rolled his eyes "Never mind. But I expect an answer when I get back. He took Lances phone and left the room. Lance continued to look around the room. But then his eyes locked on me. Me and the others were still laughing silently. "You." He growled, marching towards me "You did this." I smiled innocently "What makes you think that?" He grabbed the collar of my shirt, and pulled me up until I was standing on my toes. "You had my phone at breakfast. You've been out to get me since day one,haven't you Mullet head? Insulting me and making fun of me." I rolled my eyes "What do you mean I've been out to get you? You've only known me for a few days, but his is the second time today you've gotten in my face, and I dont know how many time you insulted me. I didn't do anything to your phone." "Let me go" I heard growled from behind me. I turned to see Kinkade and Hunk holding James back. He looked about ready to kill Lance. "No, you don't want to get in a fight this early into school. Be rational James." Kinkade hissed at him "I don't give a fuck, he's messing with MY Keith." His Keith? I turned back towards Lance. "Put me down." I growled, "Now." "Fine, I'll put you down." Lance said. Then he threw me to the ground and started to punch me. I managed to dodge or block most of them, but he caught me in the lip, and it started to bleed. I started to punch him back, hitting him right in the jaw. He growled and started to punch harder. He got me in the side of the head, and things started to get blurry. "JAMES NO!" I heard someone yell, and I felt Lance get pulled off me. "DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Someone yelled, and I heard blows landing. "Keith, are you okay?" I heard Pidge ask. I nodded my head weakly. My sight cleared again, and I saw Lance and James fighting. Both were already forming bruises, and had skinned knuckles. James had a bit of blood on them, and I saw Lance with a busted lip. So James had pulled Lance off me. Pidge helped me up and the boys started to circle each other. All of a sudden, James lunged forward, smashing his fist into Lance's rids, who in turn punched him in the jaw. At that exact moment, Iverson walked in. He looked around the room and saw James and Lance surrounded by a fight circle, and me with a bloody lip and bruises. "GRIFFIN, KOGANE, MCCLAIN. TO THE OFFICE. NOW!"


	14. In the Office

James POV 

How dare he touch MY Keith! As Kinkade and Hunk held me back, I struggled to get to Lance. He hit Keith over and over. When he hit him in the head, and his head snapped back, and he stopped punching back. He lied there, barely moving, and that's when I had enough. I ripped myself free of my friends hold, and ran towards Lance. "JAMES NO!" Kinkade yelled, but I ignored him. I yanked Lance off of my Keith and threw him back. "DON'T TOUCH HIM!" I yelled. I punched him square in the jaw, and we started to fight. We squared up and exchanged blows. A circle formed around us, and we started to circle each other.

I saw Keith stand out of the corner of my eye, and he was holding his stomach. I got even madder, and ran in with a jab to Lance's ribs, and he socked me in the jaw. Iverson walked in and yelled at us. "GRIFFIN, KOGANE, MCCLAIN! TO THE OFFICE, NOW!" I backed off, and once I saw Iversons face I thought Aww fuck, we're screwed. We followed Iverson to through the halls and toward the office. The whole way there, Keith was hugging his stomach. "Hey, Keith, are you okay?" I was getting increasingly worried. He smiled at me weakly "Yeah. But Lance isn't as light at he looks. And we was sitting on my stomach the entire time he was hitting me. He was straddling my hips." An image suddenly filled my head. Me and Keith in my bed, both butt naked, me straddling his hips. I shook my head quickly. Not now gay thoughts. "What about you? It looked like he got you pretty good." I shrugged "I'll check later. It can't be that bad. I think I got him better." Keith smiled "Yeah, you did. Good job Griff." I raised my eyebrow "Griff? Is that my new nickname?" He shrugged nocantly "If you want it to be." I smiled brightly "I'd like that. But why Griff?" "Kinda like gruff, which can mean both strong and hard. It suits you." I smiled. That's not the only thing that'll be hard. Fuck, not now gay thought. Thoughts be gone! 

We finally reached the principal's office, and were made to sit in some chairs set up in front of the desk. Iverson sat down in his chair "Your mentors will be here shortly. You guys haven't been told yet, but you'll each be receiving a mentor that works at the Garrison to help you during you time at school here. They've already been assigned, and you'll be sharing them with a few other students." We all silently nodded. After a few minutes in silence, we heard the door open. Shiro, Adam and Matt all walked in. Fuck. We were all screwed.


	15. Suspension

James POV 

Shiro and Adam stared at Keith, looks of shock on their faces. "Kogane, you get your brother, Griffin you get Mr.Adam, McLain you get Mr.Holt. Now say hello and introduce yourselves." We stood and walked over to our respective mentors, and stood at attention in front of them. "Keith what the hell? It's only the 1st week of school!" Keith looked down "I'm sorry Shiro. I-" I cut him off "With all during respect Mr.Kogane, it wasn't his fault. Lance attacked him first and he was just defending himself. It was me and Lance who did most of the fighting." Shiro looked shocked at my words "James, I don't think we've met, my names Adam. I'm Shiro's-" "Boyfriend and you guys are practically Keith's dads. I know. He talk about you guys a lot." The two adults smiled, and Keith frowned at me "I don't talk about them THAT much. Only sometimes." He said, smirking at the end. I smiled "Mhmm, sure" I teased. He just glared at me and stuck his tongue out at me. "Oh yeah, real mature" I said then blew a raspberry at him. "Ew! You got spit on me. Wtf Griff?" Keith said, giggling. Fuck that was cute. He blew a raspberry at me, then we started to mess around. "Stop it Keith! Now you're getting spit on me!! "

Shiro POV

Me and Adam watched the two fight playfully, exchanging a few glances. "They're gay for each other" Adam mouthed to me, and I nodded. But knowing Keith, he wouldn't do anything about it for a while. "All right, now back to business." Iverson said, waiting for us to sit down. Once we were all seated, he began. "During my class, Lance raised his hand to answer one of my questions, and his phone started to blare "America Idiot" ,but it instead was edited to where it said Iverson's and idiot. After I stopped the noise by breaking the phone, I asked Mr.Mclain why he did it, and wouldn't give me an answer. I then left to dispose of the phone, and when I came back, Lance and James were fighting, and Keith was injured. Boys, care to tell me what happened?" All theee of them started to talk at once "Alright, alright, one at a time. McClain you first." Lance nodded "Well after Iverson left, I noticed that Keith and some of the others were still laughing. Keith has been messing with me and insulting me for the past few days so I knew that he had something to do with it. I walked over to him, and I asked him if he did it, and he didn't respond. I them picked him up by the collar, asking him why he did it. Then James said something, and Kinkade and Hunk were holding him back. Keith insisted that he didn't do anything to my phone, but I knew he was lying. He literally GROWLED at me to put him down, and I did. And then I punched him. Then James got involved and yelled at me "DON'T TOUCH HIM!" And yanked me off Keith and then he started fighting me. So, it was Keith's fault that this all happened because he messed with my phone and got me in trouble." I turned my attention towards James and Keith, and James looked like he was going to fight Lance again, but Keith was holding him back. I saw Keith whisper something to him, and he seemed to calm down. Then I noticed that they were holding hands, and Keith was rubbing his thumb on James's hand to calm him. They must really like each other. Iverson sighed "Alright, thank you Lance. James, is there anything that you would like to add to that?"

James POV 

How dare he say that it was Keith's fault! He accused him and then attacked him! I started to stand to get towards Lance, but Keith grabbed my arm. "James, don't. You'll just get in trouble. He's not worth it." He whispered, and I sat back down. To my surprise, Keith let go of my arm and held my hand, rubbing his thumb over it to calm me down. "Alright thank you Lance. James, is there anything that you would like to add to that?" I nodded vigorously "Lance was nowhere near as calm as he claims. When Iverson left he walked over to Keith and accused him of messing with his phone. After Keith denied it, he picked him up by the collar and growled in his face, saying that Keith had been out to get him since the day they met, when it was really the opposite. Lance has been being a bitc-bully to Keith since the day that they met. He even accused Keith of lying about being an orphan." I glared at Lance the entire time I talked. Adam gasped when I told them what Lance Ihad said that night. Shiro looked like he wanted to kill Lamce, but he'd have to wait until I did it first. "Its true that Kinkade and Hunk held me back. Buts that's only because Lance was still holding Keith." Lance rolled his eyes "Yeah, but when Kinkade told you not to do anything, you said that you don't give a fuck because I was messing with YOUR Keith. Last I checked, you don't own him." I blushed "Keith means a lot to me and you've been treating him like shit. After he asked you to put him down, you threw him to the floor and tackled him, sitting on him and punching him. He tried to block them and punch back but you wouldn't back off. I broke free of Kinkade and Hunks grip, and yanked him off of Keith, and yelled at him to not touch him. After I pulled Lance off of Keith, I punched him in the jaw. Then we started fighting, and Iverson walked in." Keith nodded, still holding my hand. "If James hadn't pulled Lance off of me, I'd probably have a black eye and be unconscious." "What?!?" I said, now worried for Keith. Shiro and Adam also looked worried. He nodded "Yeah. After that last punch, things started to get blurry." It was silent for a minute, then Iverson spoke up. "Well, it seems like Mr.McClain and Kogane have some..issues with each other. Lance, your schedule will be rearranged so you no longer have any classes with Keith. Keith, James, you will receive a two day suspension. Lance, yours will be four days. Your parents will be notified. You will all stay in your rooms, and only leave during meal times and break between classes. You will avoid each other and not make contact with one another. James, Keith, I understand that you two are roommates, so this dosen't apply to you, but Lance, it does apply to you. Do you understand?" We all nodded in silent agreement. Shiro, Adam, take these two back to their room. Same goes for you Matt." They nodded "Come on boys. Let's go." Adam said, motioning for me and Keith to follow him and Shiro. We left the office, and I heard Matt tell Lance "Really Lance? Pidge told me you were impulsive, but I didn't think you'd do something like this." Me and Keith met eyes and smiled at each other, and continued out of the office, still holding hands.


	16. Adam

James POV

As we walked, I couldnt help but stare at me and Keith's intertwined hands. I then realized what was happening, and quickly pulled my hand away "U-uh, sorry." I said blushing. Keith smiled at me "No problem. Anything to keep you from fighting Lance on my behalf again." Them he started to blush and stare at the floor "Thanks for that by the way. You didn't need to." I loled at Keith in disbelief "Yes I did. I meant what I said. You mean a lot to me. And Lance has no right to bully you like he has been." Keith smiled "Thanks Griff." I smiled back "No problem Keith." We walked in silence the rest of the way, and I noticed that Adam and Shiro were holding hands and talking as they walked down the halls. I wish that I could do that someday with Keith. 

When we got to our room Shiro said "Keith, come inside with me. We need to talk. James, you'll stay out here with Adam." We nodded and the Koganes went into our room. I looked up at Adam, knowing that I was about to get a lecture. "Look, James, I'm grateful for what you did, defending Keith and all, but next time, if there is a next time, try and solve it with your words. Fighting should be your last resort." I nodded quietly. "But," he said with a smile, "Thank you for being there for Keith. He needs someone who cares about him as much as you do. Especially when that person isn't related to or has helped raise him." He chuckled and I smiled. "Thank you sir. I'll try and talk first next time." Adam smiled "Please, just call me Adam. I have a feeling that I'll be seeing a lot more of you in the future." I nodded "Okay Adam."he smiled at me on east time, then walked away. Shiro then walked out of me and Keith's room, and glanced at me for a second. "Don't hurt him." He said, then walked after Adam.

I walked into out room and saw Keith lying in his bunk. As I walked past him, I noticed that he was shaking a bit. Was he crying again? "Keith, are you okay?" He then rolled over with a big smile on his face and jumped off his bed. "Yeah, Shiro just mostly gave me fighting tips!" Then he burst out laughing and I smiled. So he was fine. That was good to know. "Mostly? What was the rest of it?" He rolled his eyes and stopped laughing "He gave me the dad lecture. I'm very disappointed in you, why would you do this, blah blah. What'd Adam tell you?" "He said that he was thankful of me for helping you, but next time to use my words first." Keith laughed "Yeah that sounds like Adam. Even though Shiro's my brother, him and Adam have always kinda treated me like their kid." He smiled, as of remembering happy times. I laughed "That must be fun. You get the dad lecture and big brother lecture all at once." He smiled "Yeah. But they're great. They're really gay sometimes, but they care a lot. I can tell that they like you." I shrugged "Yeah, Adam said just to call him by his first name, and that he think he's going to see a lot more of me." Keith's eye went wide.

Keith POV 

Holy shit. They know. THEY KNOW. FUCK IM SCREWED. They know I like James. I'm never going to hear the end of this. "Keith, you good?" I realized that I had been staring silently. I nodded "Yeah. Just zoned out for a second. What do we do? We're going to be stuck in here for the next two days. Any ideas of what we could do?" James murmured something under his breath "What?" He turned pink and stuttered "N-Nothing! But we only have to be here during class times. Not before or after school, or during passing periods. We could hang out with the others, minus Lance of course."he smiled on that last part. I smiled "Yeah, we could do that. We'll invite them to hang out in our room again. I think Pidge can set up a gaming system with my laptop. We could borrow a projector and play Mario kart." James threw his head back and laughed "Yeah. And we could go through the stuff on Lance's phone. She downloaded a lot of his stuff, remember?" I laughed "Yeah, but I don't think that we want to do that. Knowing Lance, none of it's PG." we both laughed at that "Yeah, but we can look at his texts. See how many girls rejected him. It'll be fun." "I don't know Griff." "Pleasee Keith? Can we at least ask Pidge to do it?" he pleaded, staring at me with puppy dog eyes. Fuck, those eyes. I couldn't say no to those. They were adorable. I sighed, "Finee. But... you have to promise me not to do anything to Lance. I don't want you to get in trouble." "Deal." He smiled and then hugged me. I was nice, He backed away and said "I'm gonna go find Pidge and the others. I'll tell them that they can come tomorrow night. That good with you?" I smiled "Yeah. Ima shower." James nodded then left the room to tell the others the good news. I fell back on the couch and sighed. Fuck, James was to cute. And then he called me HIS Keith. Maybe he did like me. But maybe he doesn't. "Ugghhhh! Why am I so gay for him?" I sighed again. I better shower. I still have to clean the blood off my face.


	17. Keith's Nickname

James POV 

As I went to go invite the others to me and Keith's room,I wondered why Keith's eyes got big when I told him what Adam told me. When Keith asked me "Any ideas of what we could do?" I said "I could do you" under my breath. I panicked when he said what. Did he hear me? I blushed and covered my mistake. I blushed as I ran down the halls, remembering the awkward moment. I eventually found the others in Pidge and Veronica's room. "Hey guys!" I said as I walked in. "James! What happened ? Did Lance get in trouble? Did you get in trouble? Did Keith get in trouble?" I was bombarded with questions, and they made a circle around me. "Slow down guys! Let me breathe." They nodded and backed off. I sat on the bottom bunk next to Pidge, which was probably Pidges since it had wires all over it. The others sat on the floor and couch. I began to recount the events in the office. "Well first, we found out that we'll have mentors for our time at the Garrison. I got Adam, Keith got Shiro and Lance got Matt. Iverson explained his part of the story, and then Lance explained. He tried to blame Keith for all of it, and make it look like he was the victim. He told them that Keith had been out to get him since the day they met, and that it had to be him since had we had his phone earlier. He told them about how Hunk and Kinkade were holding me back, and how Keith growled at him to put him down. He made it sound like Keith was bullying him, and like he was trying to be calm and civil." Pidge rolled her eyes "But it's the exact opposite! He's been an complete ASS to Keith the entire time!" She cringed "No offense V." Veronica shrugged "None taken. I totally agree, Lance is an ass. And he normally tries to place the blame on someone else. It makes sense that he would try to that now." I nodded "He even admitted to dropping Keith on the ground and attacking him. Then he said "It was Keith's fault this all happened." I was ready to fight him, but Keith stopped me. He held onto my arm and told me that he wasn't worth it." I started blushing "Then he held my hand for the rest of the time, rubbing his thumb on it." Veronica, Pidge and Kinkade smiled. "So, how long did he hold your hand?" Kinkade asked, with a smirk on his face. I blushed even more, and it felt like my face was on fire "Until we were almost at our room after we left the office." They all laughed, except for Hunk. "Why's that so funny?" He asked innocently. 

Then I remembered, this little cinnamon roll didn't know. But I could trust Hunk. "Hunk," I said, looking him in the eyes "I'm gay." He looked at me "How gay?" I smiled "Hella gay. And I like Keith." Hunk smiled "Oh, that's cool. That explains why you blush around him. And why whenever you talk about him you get this faraway look in your eyes." I cringed "Yeah, but don't tell him." Hunk nodded "Of course not. It's your choice on whether or not you tell him." I smiled. Hunk was a very sweet cinnamon roll child"Thanks Hunk. Anyway, after Lance finished, Iverson asked me if I had anything to add, so then I explained what happened. I told him how Lance had picked Keith up by the collar and accused him of messing with his phone. I admitted that Hunk and Kinkade had to hold me back from hitting Lance when he butted in. "Yeah, but you said that you didn't give a fuck because I was messing with YOUR Keith. Last I checked, you don't own him." Then I said "Well Keith means a lot to me, and you've been treating him like shit." I then explained that Lance was nowhere near as calm as he said, and that I had to pull him off of Keith, since he was repeatedly punching Keith and he couldn't defend himself. Then Keith said that I'd I hadn't pulled Lance off of him he'd be knocked out and have a black eye. I was shocked, along with Shiro and Adam." I looked around, and saw that everyone else was shocked. "My brother did that?" Veronica asked quietly. "Yeah, but he was mad. I may not like him at ALL, but I don't think that he'd be that reckless if he was in control of his emotions." Veronica nodded, and Pidge, who was sitting near to her, rubbed her back. "Yeah, besides, maybe now he'll leave Keith and James alone, and won't get in any more trouble." I nodded and continued my story "Iverson then decided our punishments. Me and Keith got two day suspensions, and Lance got four days. They're going to rearrange his schedule so he doesn't have any more classes with Keith. We're not to interact with each other unless completely necessary, but obviously me and Keith are exceptions since we're roommates. And since we're not supposed to leave our rooms except for during passing periods and before and after classes, we thought we could all hang out in our room tomorrow night, and hopefully Pidge could help us set up Mario kart on Keith's laptop. We can borrow a projector from the Garrison, and maybe go through some of Lance's stuff while we're at it?" I looked at Pidge hopefully on the last part, because unless she agreed it wouldn't be possible. She smiled "Of course. And maybe we can go through some of Lance's stuff." she grinned evily and her glasses shone. I smiled "So it's a plan? We'll meet in me and Keith's room tomorrow night after dinner?" I looked around and they all nodded. Kinkade smiled "I'm going to destroy you guys at Mario kart." We all laughed, "Sure buddy" I said, then got up to leave the room. "I'll see you guys later, I'm gonna go check on Keith." And I walked out.

When I got back to our room, I saw Keith lying on my bunk, sleeping. He had passed out, not even having enough energy to get in his bed.I smiled, then walked over to him and began lightly shaking him. "Keith~wake up." I continued to shake him, but when he didn't wake up, I shook him harder. "Keith stop being an ass and get off my bed. He rolled over and looked at me "But it's so comfy. And I'm tired." "Then get up and get in your own bed." "Nooo. I don't want too." I sighed "Then you leave me no choice." I picked Keith up bridal style, and he shrieked and latched his arms around my neck "Okay, okay I'm up. Now put me down. GENTLY." I smiled, setting him down "Now, was that so hard?" Keith rolled his eyes "Next time, ask politely." I smiled "Sure thing kitten~" he turned a bright pink, then smirked "So that's my nickname Griff? How come?" I smiled, blushing a bit myself "Because you sleep like a cat, curled up and you don't wake up unless you're bugged." Keith smiled "Mhmm, sure. What'd the others say?" "They all said yes, and Pidge said she'd set up the stuff." Keith smiled brightly "Great. Now let's go get dinner, I'm starving."


	18. Day 1 of Suspension pt.1

Keith POV

I woke up surprisingly late.I looked at my clock, and it was 9:15. Wait. OH SHIT I'M LATE! I jumped out of bed, and rushed to get dressed. I didn't even look at my hair, but I knew that it would look terrible. I ran towards the door and yanked it open, to a very surprised James. "Keith? What are you doing?" he asked, a look of concern on his face. "I'm gonna be late for class! It's 9 something!' I looked at him, hoping that he'd get the message and move. Instead, he laughed "Hahaha! Oh god. Keith, we're suspended today, remember?" I gasped "Ohh, right." I grinned sheepishly, feeling myself turn pink. "Sorry." James smiled "No problem. You missed breakfast, and I got some of Hunk's cookies. I figured you'd probably want to eat something." he held out a bag. I took it and stared at the delicious looking cookies inside. there had to be at least a dozen, and all had amazing detail. Some had planets, some had fighter planes, others had the Garrison logo, along with a few other designs. I looked at them in awe "Hunk made these?" I asked in shock "Yeah. He made them last night. He got Iverson to let him use the kitchen, so now he can bake whenever he wants. He thought that we'd enjoy these. He might also feel guilty about Lance. He said that he'd been ranting about you the last few days, and that he should've know that something was going to happen. " I smirked "Wow. But if Lance hates me, why does he talk about me? And how'd Hunk get Iverson to let him use the kitchen?" James smiled "Well, maybe after you rejected him, twice, Lance got you stuck in his head." We both laughed at that "As if I'd ever date Lance. He's an ass. But really, how'd Hunk get Iverson to let him use the kitchen?" "He promised to clean it all up once he was done, and he may or may not have given Iverson a bag of the cookies when he was done." I smiled "Him being around Pidge is not going to be good for him. She's going to turn him." James smiled "Nah, Pidge likes Hunk the way he is. She said that he's the cinnamon roll of the group. She'd never do that to him. Well, maybe a little bit, but not a lot." he laughed. I smiled. He had a nice laugh. I should make him laugh more often. I realized that I was probably staring, and started to blush .

"S-so, did Hunk make us each a bag?" I asekd, and he smiled "No that's for both of us. Well" he said stretching "I'm gonna go shower. Don't eat all of them." he finished with a smirk "No promises." I said as I eyed the cookies. "Well, then I guess that they'll have to come in the bathroom with me them, so I can make sure that you won't eat them all." I suddenly got an idea "Well, then how will I make sure that YOU don't eat them all while you're in there? I guess I'll just have to be in there with you~." James turned bright red and started stuttering "W-wha-n-no-no!" I smirked "What, does Griff not me to be in the bathroom with him~" I stepped close to him, and his face grew even redder. "Holy shit Keith." he whispered, and I smirked. Then a smile crossed his face "Well, I guess if you wanted to. If you'd like a show~." I felt my face heat up "So you want me in there?"I said, stepping closer and leaning forward, and his face turned even redder. "H-how about we just leave them out here?"He stuttered, and I smiled "That would be so much easier wouldn't it? Now go shower." I ordered, stepping back. James smiled, face still bright red "Yes sir." he said jokingly, then went to the bathroom. I smiled, blushing a bit. He was cute when he was flustered. And he was blushing a lot. Maybe he likes me too. Wouldn't that be amazing? I heard the shower turn on and sighed. But I can't just straight up ask him if he's gay.

Wow. That was a terrible joke. I shrugged, and walked over to the couch, flopping down on my back and pulling out my phone. I started scrolling through Instagram, looking at drawings that I had done and posted in the past. I think I have a few here with me. I cringed at some of my earlier attempts to draw spaceships. I was really bad at that. I heard the shower shut off and the door open. I picked up the bag of cookies from where it was resting on my lap "Look Griff, I didn't even open it." I got no response, and saw James standing with a towel around his waist, water dripping from his hair. He stood in the bathroom doorway for a second, looking at my no doubt red face. "What?" he smirked, a light blush dusting his cheeks "Like what you see?" I could feel my face getting warmer. "Shut up." I grumbled, burying my face in my phone. I saw him smirk, then walk past me to his(slightly bigger) dresser. I actually did like what I saw. He had semi-defined muscles on his arms, and the start of a six pack showing. I occasionally sneaked a peek at him as he got dressed. He smirked, his face still a light pink "I can feel your eyes on me Kitten~." I blushed even more and turned my attention back to my phone. After he got dressed, he walked over to me and peered over my shoulder. "What's that?" he said, nodding towards my phone screen. "A spaceship dummy." I said, a smirk on my face"Well, no duh. I mean did you draw it? Or did someone else?" "I did." I said proudly. "Wow, you're a pretty good artist Keith." I smiled proudly "Thanks." I checked the time "You know, we have about another two hours to kill before we can have lunch with the gang. What'd you want to do?" I said, sitting up. Griff smiled "Well, first, I want to eat some of these cookies. Then we can find some game to play or something." I nodded in agreement. "Sounds great, And these cookies look great." we quickly opened the bag and pulled out a cookie each. I had a Garrison logo, and Griff got a planet. Mars, I think? We made eye contact.

"On three?" I asked, and Griff nodded "One.." "Two.." "Three." we bit into the cookies, and my eyes fluttered closed. James groaned "Holy shit! These are good!" I moaned "Fuck! Hunk IS a great cook!" Griff nodded "And this was just in like an hour or two! Imagine what he could do if he had a whole day!" I could practically feel myself drooling "These are all gonna be gone in minutes. I'm going to be sick, but it'll be worth it." he nodded vigorously, and we dove into the bag. Five minutes later, the bag was empty. James groaned from his spot on the floor, holding his stomach "Holy shit those were good." I nodded. "I feel like I'm about to explode." I laid back on the couch. "Our bathroom is gonna smell like shit later." James said, and we both laughed. That laugh. It was nice. I smiled to myself, knowing that I was already head over heels for this boy. James stopped laughing and turned his head towards me with a huge grin plastered across his face "So, what should we do now? We still have like two hours to kill." I though for a minute, then sat up quickly "We watch stupid people on YouTube!" James sat up too "Yeah! That sound great!' I shot up from the couch, and ran towards my desk, grabbing my laptop and running towards the beds. "Come on sit!" I said, plopping down on Griff's bunk. He walked over and plopped down next to me. I pulled up YouTube, and we started scrolling through, trying to find something good to watch. "Ohh that one! I've seen other videos by this guy before! They're really good!" I nodded and clicked on the video. We watched several videos, and at some point had moved to where we were lying down on the bed and covered in a blanket. James on the edge, me near the wall. I was perfectly content. I was warm, and was watching people be idiots on YouTube with James.


	19. Day 1 of Suspension pt.2

James POV

As I stared at the screen, I thought about what Keith had said when we were arguing about the cookies earlier. He had gotten REALLY close to me, and seemed to be suggesting something. Maybe he likes me back? I don't know. I'll ask him. Someday. Maybe. I looked over at Keith, who had fallen asleep. How could he sleep so long? He didn't wake up until nine something this morning. Whatever. Must be him.

-Time skip-

I woke up to the sound of giggling and "Shhh, be quiet, you'll wake them up." What was happening? I opened my eyes groggily, and was greeted with the back of Keith's head. Wait, WHAT? I tried to sit up, then realized that I couldn't. I was holding Keith, who was still fast asleeep in my arms. I craned my neck to see Pidge, Veronica, Hunk and Kinkade standing next to my bed. Pidge had her phone out and was snapping picture after picture, giggling the whole time. Veronica looked at me suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows, and Kinkade had a huge smirk on his face. Hunk just looked uncomfortable. "So," Veronica asked "If I pull off the blanket, will you guys still be decent. I felt my face turn bright red "Yes. What are you guys even doing in here?" I asked while attempting to remove my arm from underneath Keith. It didn't work, and he just rolled over and clung to my arm. I tried to pry it away from him, but he clung onto my arm tighter."We came to get you for lunch. What were YOU guys doing?" Pidge asked, and evil smile on her face. "Nothing like THAT. We ate the cookies Hunk gave us, them we watched people being stupid on YouTube here. I guess we fell asleep." I said, blushing at the end. "You should probably wake Keith up, cause I don't think he's gonna let go" Kinkade said, and I sighed. I started shaking my arm lightly "Keith, c'mon wake up. Keith wake up." Pidge and Veronica smirked. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Give me a minute. We'll be there soon." "Mhmm, sure you will." Kinkade said, then motioned for the others to follow him out of the room. They complied and left. Pidge smiled and then, after taking a few more pictures, walked out. I started to shake Keith like I had yesterday, but it didn't work. I sighed. Was I going to have to carry him out? Then I got an idea. I leaned close to his ear and purred "Wake up Kitten~." and Keith opened his eyes quickly. He quickly shot up and let go of my arm. "James? What happened?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. I looked him over, and fuck he looked cute. His bedhead was adorable. I smiled and started to blush"We fell asleep watching YouTube. Somehow we ended up spooning, and the others came to get us for lunch. Pidge took a bunch of pictures. I finally got them out, and then I woke you up. They're waiting for us in the cafeteria right now." he looked at me confusedly "Pidge took pictures? Why?" I shrugged "Because Pidge. She's kinda weird. By the way" I asked, starting to blush "Did you like being the little spoon Kitten?" he stared at me, violet eyes on my own brown ones "I'm not a little spoon. I'm a knife." I laughed "Sure thing Kitten." I stood and ruffled his hair. "Well," I said stretching, "I'm gonna go meet the others. You coming?" he nodded "Yeah, just let me plug in my laptop. We just about killed the battery." I nodded and left the room. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps behind me, and then Keith was besides me. "Uh, by the way, can we not use the nicknames when we're around the others? I don't want them to get the wrong idea." he stared at the floor the entire time. I felt my heart break a little. Does he not like me? Or boys? "Why? Do you not like it?" he looked up at me, face light pink "Wha-no-I mean-." he sighed "I just don't want them to tease us. I kinda like my nickname." I smiled. "Okay then. No nicknames when we're with the others." I stuck my hand out, and he shook it with a smile. "Thanks Griff."


	20. Mario Kart

Kinkade POV

When we went to the gays room to get them for lunch, we found them out cold and spooning. Pidge and Veronica immediately started fangirling. Hunk just looked uncomfortable. I smiled, hoping that something had been said. "Shouldn't we leave? We're kinda intruding on a personal moment." Hunk asked. Pidge smiled and pulled out her phone, taking pictures "No way! We need these! I'm gonna show them at their wedding!" Veronica smiled Pidge, we all know you'll be showing them from the day they start dating to the day they, or you, die. Whichever comes first." I smiled "Yeah, but V, you'll be making bets with Pidge about everything." she gave me the death stare. Pidge smiled "That's right. You and Kinkade already lost our bet, so if they're dating by the end of the month you guys owe me 60 bucks!" After some more giggling and picture taking, James woke up.

-time skip-

After we left, we went to the cafeteria, where Pidge and Veronica went through the pics they had taken of the gays. Hunk asked me "What's this bet you guys made?" "I said that James would tell him by the end of the week two weeks ago, and V said that they'd kiss by the end of last week, but they didn't. Pidge said that they'd be dating by the end of the month, which is in a week. If she wins, me and V owe her 60 bucks." "Wow. That's a lot. " I nodded, the spotted the gays coming our way "But don't tell the gays." They both sat down, and not a word was spoken. Lunch was eaten quietly, with. Veronica and Pidge whispering back and forth between each other occasionally.

The rest if the day passed quickly, and after dinner we all rushed to the gays room, where Pidge and Keith were setting up Mario kart. I was ahead of the others, and when I got there, they were whispering over something on the screen. I walked over to them quietly "Whatcha doing?" and Keith jumped a few inches into the air "Shit! Kinkade don't do that!" I smiled, knowing that I'd be scaring him a lot "Okay. But seriously, what are you guys doing?" Pidge, with her eyes still on the screen responded "We're trying to figure out how to attach the files I got from Lance's phone and put them on the projector. But it's not working." my eyes went wide in surprise "We're going through Lance's stuff?" Pidge shook her head, eyes still on the screen "Not all of it. I had V look through it, and she picked a few messages and conversation in which Lance got badly rejected. I looked over some of them. He uses cheesy pick up lines, and the girls hate them. There's also one where he's ranting to Hunk about getting suspended." I smiled "Well, what if we give Hunk some of these messages to use to shut Lance up?" Pidge looked up from the screen at me "We COULD do that. There might be hope for you yet Kinkade." She went back to the screen, typing furiously.

I smiled, then walked over to the couch. At some point, the others had arrived. Veronica was on Jame's bed, Hunk was on the floor, and the gays were nowhere to be seen. I started to scroll through my phone, and James ran in, with an evil smile on his face Veronica saw his expression and immediately asked "What'd you do?" James just smiled "I didn't do anything. But I just saw Lance get yelled at by Iverson for running through the halls." I rolled my eyes "Of course that's why you're smiling." he shrugged, like what are you gonna do. Pidge shrieked "YES!" and Keith froze. Pidge turned to face us with a gleam in her eyes "It's working, We can play Mario cart, then see messages where Lance gets rejected." Everyone smiled. But Hunk, being innocent , asked "Why are we going through Lance's stuff? And what are we going to play with?" I smiled "Hunk, we're going through his stuff because we can. But, Pidge can also send you some of these to use to shut Lance up." his eyes went wide with realization "Ohh." "Yeah, and we're gonna lay with these controllers I brought from home. James looked at her oddly "You brought controllers, but not a gaming system?" she shrugged "I can set up anything to be a gaming system. Me and Matt once made one of those walking machines at the gym play DOOM." James nodded, since this was a very Pidge like thing to do, and made sense. Her and her brother, Matt, where tech geniuses. Their whole family was, and their dad was one of the top people at the Garrison.

Once we were all seated, me and Hunk went first on Mario kart. I destroyed him, and got 1st. Poor Hunk got 4th behind the CPUS. "Sorry man." he shrugged "It's okay. I like baking better anyway." we then continued tournament style. I beat Veronica, then both of the gays, and was up against Pidge. We wee on the last lap, and I was barely ahead of her. Then, the worst thing happened. She blue shelled me. I spun out, and she crossed the finish line "YES! I win!" I gasped "Pidge! No fair! You fucking blue shelled me!" the other looked at me in shock. I very rarely, if ever cursed. James smiled "Good job Pidge, you made him mad. You should be scared." I glared at him "I'm not MAD mad. But she ruined my streak!" Pidge smiled "Sorry Kinkade. But a girl's gotta do what a girls gotta do. And I HAD to blue shell you." I sighed. She was right. "Fine. But you're gonna show me how to set that up on my computer." "Deal." 

We spent the next two hours just talking and joking around. We went through some of Lance's text messages, and he used the cheesiest pick-up lines EVER. "Your body is 65% water and I'm thirsty." "I'm good at math. U+I=69, because you are a ten.""On a scale of 1-10 you're a 9, because I'm the one you need" and other stuff like that. It was painfully cringey. Around 10, we all went back to our respective rooms, promising to do this again next week.


	21. Lance's Suspension

Lance POV

I laid in my bed for hours after I woke up, thinking. Stupid Keith. Stupid James. They're both stupid. It's their fault that I'm in here and not in class. Why'd they have to do that? I was in the perfect position to get away scratch free, and they just HAD to tell Iverson. Stupid Keith. Stupid Mullet.

I heard the door open, and turned to see Hunk walk in. He sighed when he saw that I was still in bed "Lance, you know you're gonna have to leave eventually. Get up. I'm not bringing you meals like I did yesterday. I rolled my eyes and sat up "Why not? If you have time to make Mullet and James cookies, why can't you bring me food from the cafeteria?" he sighed again "Because, Lance, those were "I'm sorry my roommate is being a butt" cookies. And I had been wanting to bake for a while now. You are perfectly able to get out of bed and go get food. It's lunch time, why don't you come sit with me and Pidge?" I rolled my eyes "No. You guys sit with Keith and James. I do't want to see them. It's their fault I'm in this mess." Hunk glared at me "Fine. But at least eat something." I sighed, and jumped off my bed"Finee. I'l grab something to eat. but then I'm coming right back here." Hunk sighed "Fine." We left the room and went to the cafeteria. I tried to run to the lunch line so that I could get my food and go, but my sister spotted me. "Lance" she said, running towards me "What's you problem? Hunk says that you're not moving or eating." I glanced at Hunk, who was already sitting with Pidge. "I am ronny, just not a lot." "Lance, you're already a twig. Imagine what Mami will say if you come home even skinnier. She'll be trying to feed you all day long." I remembered that we got to go home for Christmas break. They call it Winter Break, but they're the same thing. "Fine Ronny. I'll eat." she smiled "Good. Why don't you come sit with us." I scoffed, grabbing a lunch tray "With James and Mullet? No way." she rolled her eyes "One, do't call Keith mullet. Two, they're not even sitting with us. Them and Kinkade are in their room laying Mario Kart." I perked up when I heard that, and grabbed my milk "Mario Kart? They have that here?" Ronny laughed "No, but Pidge hooked it up on Keith's laptop, and they borrowed a projector. We were all in there last night." I frowned "So if I want to play, I'd have to ask Pidge to set it up for me?" "Or, you could apologize to the boys, and play with all of us." I scoffed, grabbing a slice of pizza. "Yeah right. As if I would go in their room. It's probably filthy." Ronny sighed "Lance, I don't know what your problem is with Keith and James, but you need to stop. You don't even know them, and you're already assuming the worst about them." I turned towards her and glared "I know that it's their fault that I'm suspended. That's good enough for me." I stormed off towards an empty table, knowing that if I sat with the others I'd keep getting lectured. I angrily chewed my pizza, and when I was done, I stormed out of the cafeteria and to my room. I hated those guys. Ronny I get, but Hunk too? When would they see that this was all Keith's fault. All of it. Every last part.

-Time skip-

I spent the next two days doing the exact same thing. Sleeping, eating, and not much else. After my suspension was over, I got my new schedule. I had all of the same classes, just in a different order. I walked towards my first class, which was still science, with James. And just my luck, I was stuck sitting next to him too. I walked into class, and could feel eyes on me. Apparently lots of people had heard what happened. Someone had posted a video of it on Snapchat. I kept my eyes on the floor and made my way to my seat. A few minutes later, James walked in and sat next to me. "Hey Lance." he whispered, and I turned towards him. He smiled then told me in a menacing voice "If you hurt Keith again I will beat your ass." I glared at him"You don't scare me." he laughed and said "I know. But Shiro does, and Keith's his little brother." my eyes went wide. "Fine." I growled "It's not like I want to be anywhere near you two anyway." he smirked, and faced forward. The rest of the class went silently. We didn't talk, and when we were done, we messed around on our phones.

For the rest of the day, I didn't see him or Keith at all. At lunch, I sat with Pidge and Hunk, while Ronny and Kinkade sat with James and Keith. They were all smiling and laughing a lot, and it looked like Ronny was telling them a story. Probably about me, I thought, then realized that I could've been any one of out siblings or cousins. Pidge and Hunk started talking about something they were doing in robotics. "-ance! Lance!" I shook my head "What?" "Nothing." Pidge said "You just zoned out for a minute. Hunk asked how your new schedule was going." "Oh. Yeah.It's going good. But I have James right next to me first period, and he said that if I hurt Keith he'd beat my ass. I told him he doesn't scare me, and he told he knows, but Shiro does. So basically, if I mess with mullet, I'll get beat." Pidge nodded "Yeah. And you should be scared of James. He's strong. Keith says that he has the starting of a six pack." I rolled my eyes "Yeah, but he won't do anything. Nothing bad at least. Keith told him in the office that I wasn't worth it. "Well, you're really not." Pidge said. I gasped "What do you mean by that?" she rolled her eyes "Stop being such a drama queen Lance. I mean, that you recklessly teasing him and Keith isn't worth fighting you over." "But why does he care so Much about Keith? They've only know each other for like, a week?" "Because Lance, they're roommates. And because James is just that way. He's not self centered. But you wouldn't know what that is." she smirked "GaSp! Pidge! You wound me!" we continued joking around during lunch, but Hunk stayed suspiciously quiet. "Hunk? You good buddy?" I asked, concerned. He looked at me "It's not Keith's fault you got suspended. You were being an ass, and someone called you out on it." me and Pidge stared at him in shock. Hunk never cusses, and is normally super nice. But then Pidge looked mad "Wait, what do you mean?" Hunk looked at her "Lance has been complaining for the past five days because he got suspended, and he said that it's all Keith's fault." Pidge stared at me "It that true?" I nodded slowly, and she smacked the back of my head "Give him a break Lance, he didn't even do anything to you!" "Owww! I know Pidge. Trust me, Ronny's already given me this talk." "Damm right she has! And I'll do it too if you don't stop complaining about Keith. You have no interaction with him anymore, you'll be fine." I nodded, and we continued to eat our lunch. 

Later that day, when we went to our room after class, I told Hunk "Listen man, I'm sorry for being an ass. I know it wasn't Mullet's fault." he nodded "Thanks Lance. But I'm not the one you should be saying sorry to." " Oh hell nah! I am NOT apologizing to them!" he shrugged "I was worth a shot. Come one, lets get dinner. I'm starving."


	22. Time Skip

The group has now been at the Garrison for two years. James, Kinkade, Veronica, Hunk and Lance are 16. Keith and Pidge are 15, both of their birthdays are during the school year. Adam and Shiro are 23, along with Matt and Crutis. Keith has been pining his ass off about James, while James has been staring at his ass. There have been some more gay moments, and the tension between the two has grown. James accidentally walked in on Keith when he was in the shower, and Keith feel on his lap when he tripped on his own foot.

Meanwhile, Pidge, Kinkade and Veronica have watched as the two make it painfully obvious, at least to them, that they like each other. James will sometimes rant to Kinkade about Keith and his "beautiful violet eyes", while Keith rants to Pidge and Veronica about how handsome James is. All the while, they're texting each other about all the stuff the other one says. 

Lance has faded into the background, and doesn't talk to Keith, James or Kinkade. He still hangs out with Veronica, Hunk and Pidge, and has become quite a flirt.

This next part will start from the last day of school at the Garrison, before the year they're all 16.


	23. Last Day of School

James POV

It was the last day of school, and everyone was excited. We finally got to go home again and be lazy. Me and Keith had spent most of the week packing up out stuff and messing around with our friends. We played Mario kart, which had become a tradition for us (we played at least twice a month), and joked around. Phone numbers had been exchanged the previous year, and we had all promised to video chat a lot. Last summer we would spend hours talking, some of us having to stop and pretend to be asleep so our parents wouldn't find out. We had included, much to my dismay, Lance in a few of these calls, but not by choice. He normally just butted in with Veronica, and didn't say much unless Pidge or Hunk where on the call. We all still had the same roommates, except for Kinkade, who got his own room. His roommate had flunked out and moved to a different school. We never met him. Pidge spent a lot of time doing computer and tech stuff, and were no doubt the smartest out of all of us. Hunk helped her out sometimes, but she rarely needed it. She had gotten suspended for a few days last year for changing the school's bells to play "All Star". Hunk had gotten into a habit of using the kitchen, and made everyone Christmas cookies. But them Iverson got mad at him because he used a LOT of ingredients, but he cheered up when Hunk presented him and each of the staff members he knew with personalized cookies. Kinkade had become a math wiz, and was good at welding. Veronica got to skip a year, since she did a course at the Garrison during summer, but she still hangs out with us. Keith and I hadn't gotten into any more trouble, but we had our fair share of awkward moments.

Now, it was time to go home. Hunk left first, he had to go to his cousins wedding the next day, and we all hugged him goodbye. We were gonna miss our cinnamon roll. The the McClains left, with a hard of people. Lance almost got tackled by some kids yelling "UNCLE LANCE! TIO LANCE!" And everyone laughed. Pidge and Keith were staying, since they both lived close to the Garrison and their parents worked there. We talked for a while, then Kinkade left, hugging us all and saying that he'd miss us. When he hugged me he whispered "You better tell Keith soon." I nodded. Pidge went inside, saying something about her not being an outside person, and it was just me and Keith. We talked for a while remembering the stupid stuff us and our friends did. "Rember when Hunk's cake blew up?" Keith asked, and I laughed"Yeah, he was so sad. And there was chocolate all over the ceiling!" 

Then I had an idea "How about we take a picture together? That way we don't forget what each other looks like?" Keith smiled "I could never forget your face." And I felt myself blush "Come on Kitten, please?" "But Griff why?" "Because." "Fine. But you better send it to me." I smiled brightly "Of course." I handed Keith phone "Here, you take the picture and I'll stand behind you." "Okay" he took the phone and I got behind him. "No look Kitten, you have to hold it like this." Hr game a look like wtf? "Here. Let me do it. All you'll have to do is push the button." I put my chin on his shoulder and put my arms around him so that I could move the phone. "There." His face was a light pink, and he looked flustered. Maybe he does like me. "Ready? 3, 2, 1 ." And he took the picture. We looked good together. I saw my dads car pull up "Shit. I have to go." "Boo." Keith pouted "Don't worry Kitten, you'll see me again soon." He frowned "Fine." Then, to my surprise, he stood up and hugged me. "I'll mis you Griff." I smiled "I'll miss you too Kitten." We broke away from each other and shared a sad smile. Then I picked up my bags and went to load them into my dads car. After I did that, I sat in the passengers seat and waved to Keith as we pulled away. He looked so sad. 

_Don't worry Kitten, I'll see you again soon._


	24. Pidge I Miss Him

Keith POV 

I sighed and rubbed my eyes and I watched James drive away. I promised myself that I wouldn't cry. I walked inside, where Pidge was sitting, messing around on their laptop. "Pidge" I whined "I miss him." She didn't even look up from her screen "He LITERALLY left a minute ago. Your gay ass will be fine." I pouted "But Pidgeee." "But nothing. You and your gays ass need to accept that you're not gonna hear from your crush for a few hours. He has people who miss him. His mom and dad remember? And I'm sure Shiro and Adam miss you. They haven't seen you at a during the last few months, and they work here." I sighed.I knew that she was right. "Fine." 

I walked through the halls, searching for my brother's room. Once I found it, I knocked on the door REALLY hard. I had learned the hard way that I ALWAYS had to knock before entering. I had accidentally walked in on them making out, with Adam pinned under Shiro on the couch. After a few minutes one of them yelled "Come in." I walked in, and saw them sitting on the couch. Shiro's hair was messed up, and Adam had some.pink Mark's on his neck, which I knew would be hickeys later. I smirked "Did I interrupt something? They both turned bright red and Shiro stuttered out "W-whats up Keith?" I shrugged "Nothing really. James just eft, andPidge said that we should hang out. She pointed out that I haven't spent much time with you, and that I should."Adam smiled "Speaking of James, what up with you two?" I couldn't count how many times they had asked me about him last summer , but I wouldn't tell them anything. But I HAD to talk to someone about him. I sighed and flopped on the chair. Shiro and Adam's room was bigger than than any of the students. They had one big bed, a couch, a chair, two desks, an actual closet and a slightly bigger bathroom. "He left less than five minutes ago, and I already miss him. I missed him the second he left. Him and his brown eyes, with flecks of gold in them, that look like the sunset from the shack when he's happy." Adam smiled "You really like him don't you?" I nodded and sighed. "Yeahhh." I closed my eyes, imagining his face when he smiles.

"Huh, Shiro he looks kind of like you when you talked to Matt about me." Shiro's went bright red, and I sat straight up "What? Really?" Adam smiled "Yeah,he'd rant to Matt al the time. Matt recorded it, and after we started dating, he showed me." "Can I see it?" I asked eagerly. "No Adam, babe, please don't show him. If you've ever loved me, please don't." Adam smirked "And what if I do tell him?" "Then I won't fuck you for the rest of the year." "Shiro, gross! I don't want to hear this!" Adam stared at him, and Shiro stared right back. "Fine." Adam sighed, and Shiro smiled. "But yeah Keith, itd be nice if all three of us spent more time together this year." Shiro nodded in agreement "Yeah, and I can teach you how to drive a hover bike." Adam's eyes went wide "Oh no you're not. I'm not going to let you teach our son how to ride one of those." "But Adam, it'll be fun!" "Yeah going to the ER is fun." They continued to argue, and I left the room. 

As I wandered the halls, I couldn't help but wonder if I would be in a relationship with James like Shiro and Adam have. God I hope so. As I lost myself in my fantasies, I ended up back in the front. Pidge stared at me "Well, you're back fast. What,,did they start kissing?" I shook my head "No, but I definitely interrupted something. I told them what you said, and about James leaving, and then Adam asked me about him." She smirked "Did you talk about how you already missed him, and his soft brown eyes with gold and/or caramel in them?" I sighed, remembering James's eyes. "Yeahh. He has.." "Pretty eyes? Pretty hair? I could go on. I don't get it, why and how do you crush on him for two years, be his roommate, and not tell him?" "I don't know Pidge. Maybe I'll tell him this year. Or not. I don't know!" She scoffed and shook her head "You are so in love with him." I felt my face heat up, then realized, Pidge might be right. Again. "Maybe I am." She looked up at me "For real?" I blushed and nodded. She smiled "Well, that's interesting."


	25. They ~Love~ Each Other

Pidge POV

So Keith loves James huh? I have to tell Veronica. "That's great Keith. Now when are you gonna tell him?" His face went bright red "I-I don't know. Maybe this year." I smiled and nodded "Cool." Keith walked away, probably to the lounge room. I whipped out my phone and started texting Veronica.

Pidgeon: Keith finally admitted to loving James😂

ThecoolMcClain: Fr? FINALLY!

Pidgeon:Yeah. It took him 4 ever tho

ThecoolMcClain: Remember when James told us?

I smiled, remembering that day. It was after class, and he came running into our room. Kinkade was in there too. "Guys! Guys guys! I THINK I'M IN LOVE WITH KEITH!!!" We all stared at him before Kinkade deadpanned "Congratulations. You finally figured it out. Now are you gonna tell him?"V smacked his arm "Lighten up Kinkade. But yeah James, we all know. How'd you figure it out?" He sighed and flopped down on my bed "I was helping him with his homework,and when he concentrates really hard, his face scrunches up, and he sticks his tongue out. He finished the question , and he looked up at me through his bangs, and he was FUCKING ADORABLE! His eye were all bright and they shone. Did you know how fucking pretty his eyes are? They're violent, and when he smiles they sparkle and they look like galaxies." he covered his face with his hands, which had gone bright red at this point. "And he looked up at me through his bangs, eyes all hopeful and sparkling and I FUCKING DIED. It was so cute. UUGH! Why do I have such a cute roommate/best friend?" we all shared a look. If only we could tell him. But we had promised to both of them that we wouldn't tell the other. "Well." V started, "you could tell him. And did you leave him confused in the room?" James shot up "No! I would never do that! He's showering. I'm not gonna bug him." Kinkade snickered "Not again anyway." and me and V laughed. James turned bright red "That was an accident. And-and-maybe I'll tell him! Next year!" then he left.

Pidgeon:Yeah, I loved Kinkade's reaction

ThecoolMcClain: Yeah "Congrats. U finally figured it out. Now are u gonna tell him?" 😂

But seriously, we all knew.

Pidgeon: Do you think they'll tell each other this year? Cause there a lot of tension

ThecoolMcClain:

Pidgeon:🤨??

ThecoolMcClain:I'm cutting the sexual tension

Pidgeon:🤣🤣

But seriously do u think they will

ThecoolMcClain: hopefully, but probably not

Pidgeon:😑

These gays are being a pain in the ass

ThecoolMcClain: Well, James would be a pain in Keith's ass 

If u know what I mean 😉

Pidgeon:Yes ik what u mean gross V

Thecoolmcclain: 😌

I heard Matt calling me. He probably broke something. Again. He's a genius, but hes clumsy 

Pidgeon: sorry v. Gtg ttyl

Thecoolmcclain: aight. Ttyl

I sighed, and began looking for Matt. I found him flat on his ass in his room, covered in wires. I laughed and started taking pictures. "Pidge! Stop laughing and help me up!" I continued laughing, but I reached a hand out, which he took, and yanked him up. "W-what were you even doing?" I asked, trying to stop laughing. "I was TRYING to unplug my desktop, and the wires were all tangled. I tried yanking it out, then I fell." I started laughing again. "Dude, you need less wires. Ever heard of being "organized"?" Matt rolled his eyes "Just help me untangle these." I stopped laughing and sighed. "Fine. But you owe me." "Fine." we went to work. After a few seconds of silence Matt asked "So what'd Keith do?" "How'd you know?" "You look like you really want to talk about something stupid someone did, and it's normally Keith. Or James. Or Lance. Normally Keith." I sighed "Literally LESS than a MINUTE after James left, he was already saying that he missed him. I sent him off to bug Shiro and Adam, cause I'm tired of hearing him rant about James, and vice versa." He chuckled "What is wrong with those two? They've been crushing on each other for what, two years? Why won't one of them say anything?" I pulled apart some red and black wires "They're also roommates and best friends, and they don't know what gender the other likes, They're scared that if they confess to the other, they won't return the affections, and it'll mess up their friendship." "Ahh" Matt nodded. "Sounds like Shiro and Adam. Except for the roommate part." I whipped my head and looked at Matt "Really?" he smiled "Yeah. Once, I even recorded Shrio ranting about him. After they got together, I sent Adam the video." I smiled evily, and Matt saw "Pidge.. what are you gonna do?" I shrugged "Maybe I'll record Keith ranting about James, and I they don't tell each other by the end of the year, I'll send it to James." his yes went wide "I wouldn't do that. As funny as it is, Shiro almost killed me when he found out. And James and Keith aren't exactly weak." I sighed, knowing that he was right. "Fine. I won't send it to James. I'll send it to Veronica sand Kinkade so we can laugh about it." Matt shook his head and sighed "They'll probably find out. And why not share it with Hunk and Lance? They're your friends too." I rolled my eyes. Matt knows very little about my friends, except for their names, and that two of them were pining their gays asses off. "Hunk is a cinnamon roll who is innocent and would probably tell them, and Lance doesn't like them, and they don't like him. Lance was an ass to Keith when they first met, and hates him. He'd make fun of them or do some messed up shit." "Oh." Matt said quietly, and we were quiet. Lance wasn't AS bad as he was the first year, but he still didn't like them both. This year it would probably be worse. I knew that all three of them had signed up to be fighter pilots, which meant that they'd be competing with each other. And only the top 20 got to continue to training for it. Everyone else either became a cargo pilot of chose a different course. This was going to be an interesting year.


	26. Dad!

James POV

_Don't worry Kitten. I'll see you again soon._

We left the Garrison in silence. Then y dad said something "So, James. Who was that?" I felt my face flush pink. My parents knew that I was gay, but I normally didn't talk to them about the boy I liked. "Dad, stop." "Aww come on son. You obviously already miss him. You can talk to me you know." I sighed and nodded. "His name is Keith." Dad smiled "Keith, huh? And what do you like about him?" that was enough to send me rambling "Everything. Little things, big things. It's made being his roommate sooo hard!" My dad's eyebrows went up "He's your roommate? Oh wow, that's tough son." I nodded "And he's also one of my best friends. But when I look at him or talk to him..I just..UGHH!" I out my hands over my heated face "I just want to kiss him. But at the same time, I don't want to risk ruining our friendship." My dad smiled "I know the feeling. I was the same way with your mother. We were friends fora long time before I finally asked her out. But, then I found the love of my life. You know, we weren't that much older than you when we met." I dropped my hands and my eyes went wide "DAD! I'm not thinking of marrying him!" "Yet." I sighed "This is why I don't tell you guys this stuff!" my dad laughed at my reaction "Sorry. But what do you like about this boy. What's he look like? How's his personality?" 

I sighed and leaned back in my seat. These were questions I could answer with ease. I could feel myself start to smile "He had the most beautiful eyes that I've ever seen. They're violet, and look kinda like stormy skies when he mad or annoyed, which doesn't happen often. But when he's happy, they light up and shine a bit, and they look like stars in a galaxy...." I sighed, remembering those eyes. I looked over at my dad, who was smiling "What? He does." he shook his head "No,it's not that. But it sounds like you're in love with him." I nodded "I think I am. I mean, it's been two years, and I still feel the same way." "Hmm. Tell me more about him."I nodded "He has kinda long hair, like a mullet, but a little shorter. He's a little shorter than me, about two, three inches. He has an amazing laugh, and a fucking adorable giggle.' I felt my face heat and I started to smile " When he smiles his whole face light up. He's shy when you first meet him, but as you get to know him, he opens up more. If you saw him in just a glance, you'd think he emo. But he's not. He just has trust issues. But he got used to me, Kinkade, Veronica, Hunk and Pidge pretty quick. He's smart, and kind. He's just.. amazing."

I looked over at my dad, who had been quiet for a while. He had a smile on his face "What?" "You really do love him, don't you?" I blushed and nodded sheepishly. "That's great James. but I think that it doesn't matter if you love him if you don't tell him. Now, are you going to tell him? " I looked at the floor for a minute, thinking. Them I raised my head 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna tell him this year."


	27. I'm Home

Veronica POV

After texting Pidge, I turned towards Lance "So, what'd you choose for you course?" At the Garrison, there were four main courses. Flyer, Command, Tech, Weapons. Each had it's own sub categories, and I had no idea what he had chosen. I was going to do Command with a bit of weapons, so I learned leadership skills and how to shoot. Lance smiled "I'm going to be a flyer, fighter class." I raised an eyebrow "Really? Cause James and Keith are doing that too.." he scoffed "So? I can beat either of them with my hands tied behind my back." I smirked "Really? Cause Keith is staying at the Garrison with his brother, and the simulator and stuff is there." Lance shrugged "So? I'll be a natural. I don't NEED practice. And besides, it's not like he can just run around the place all day." I smiled, remembering what Pidge had told me the other day. "Actually, he can. So can Pidge. They're allowed everywhere as long as they don't break anything." Lance's eyes went wide "W-what? No fair! Why can't we do that?" I rolled my eyes. Lance was a great brother, lost of the time, but sometimes he says and does the stupidest stuff. "Lance, Keith and Pidge both have family that work at the Garrison. Pidge's brother and Dad work there, and they live nearby. Keith has pretty much been raised by Shiro and Adam, who both work at the garrison. They also live nearby. So they pretty much spend the entire year at the Garrison." A look or realization crossed his face"Ohh. That makes sense." "Yeah. So they'll be hanging out there all the time. Don't worry, you'll still se them on my video calls that you butt into." Lance smiled "Yeah. But that's just because Hunk and Pidge are on there." I smiled "Yeah, sure." We both went quiet.

-time skip-

I fell asleep, and when we woke up we were home. I got out of the car and looked up at our house. It was BIG. Three stories, and a bunch of bedrooms and bathrooms. I sighed. It was good to be home.

I walked in, and was immediately crushed into a hug "Veronica, mi hija! I missed you!" I smiled and hugged them back "I missed you too Abuela." "Ronny! Lance!" My brothers Marco and Luis called out, running down the stairs. They crushed me and Lance in a hug. "Wassup guys? How are things at the Garrison?" I smiled "good. Neither of us are failing, and Lance didn't get into any more fights. That I know of." Lance gasped "You have so little faith in me! But yeah, no fights this year." "Good lil bro. Cause if you had, I might have to fight you." Marco said, smiling. I smiled "Yeah, but you still might do that next year. SOMEONE wants to be a fighter pilot with the same kids he got in a fight with our first year." "Bro, really? You wanna be a fighter pilot?" Lance nodded "Nice bro." Luis said. "Yeah. Well, it was nice seeing you guys, but I gotta go. I have a video chat to get too." "Ooh, can I join?" Lance asked"You know you'll just but in if I don't let you." He nodded "Exactly. But this time I asked." I rolled my eyes "Fine. But don't be an ass to Keith and James." "Ok." We went upstairs to my room, and I pulled out my laptop. 

Incoming video call- Kinkade

Kinkade POV

Veronica(and Lance) have joined

"Hey guys. What's up?" I asked "Nothing much. We just got home." Veronica said. "Was Lance a pain in the car?" I asked, and Lance looked offended. "I'm never a pain! Kinkade, what did I ever do to you?" "Make one of my friends cry, get in a fight with same friend plus another and getting them both suspended." I said with a smirk, and Lance rolled his eyes "Come on Kinkade! That was like two years ago! Forgive and forget man." I smiled "Nope."

Gay4Keith has joined

"Hey James" I said, smiling at my contact name for him. But it was true "Sup Kinkade." "Nothing much. You?" He shook his head "Same. I just finished unpacking. Hey Veronica." she smiled and waved "So, did anything happen when we were gone?" wiggling her eyebrows. Jame's face went bright red "Veronica! NO!" he shouted "Nothing important. I'll text you guys later." I smiled. Something had happened. "So did Lance decide not to butt into this one?" Lance chose that exact moment to come back on screen "HI! I'm here!" James groaned and put his face in something, probably a pillow. "Why?" Lance smiled "Because Hunk and Pidge are normally on these things. And they're my friends." I sighed "Then why don't you call them then? Then you can leave us alone." Lance just death stared me, and Veronica laughed. "He was on his phone the whole way back and now it's dead, and he lost his charger!" she started laughing, along with me and James. Lance pouted in the background

Pigeon & Gay4James had joined

"Hey guys." Keith said "Why's everyone laughing?" "Yeah, what did we miss?" Pidge said, confused . "Lance killed his phone battery and-and-lost his charger!" James chocked out, still laughing. Kieth and Pidge burst out laughing "Hahaha!" Keith said loudly, and I saw James look at him and smile. This boy was gone. Once we all stopped laughing, Keith asked "So what's up?" "Nothing. What's up with you Ki-Keith?" James asked, and the gays both turned a light shade of pink. Pidge spoke up "He interrupted Shiro and Adam making out, and then got the overprotective mom ting from Adam." "Wait, what?" I asked. "I wen tot talk to them, and I interrupted something. We talked about our plans for the summer, and Shiro wants to teach me how to ride a hover bike. Then Adam went into protective mom mode and I left." Keith said. "Damm, I feel sorry for you. That must've been weird." Veronica said, cringing. Keith nodded "It was, but they never do anything when I'm around." "But apparently they had been crushing on each other forever, and Matt recorded Shiro ranting about Adam and sent it to him after they got together. Which sounds like a good idea when you have friends who are pining over each other." Pidge out in, looking at me and Veronica. That was a good idea, but would be kinda hard since we weren't near each other. Keith and James were both a light pink, death staring Pidge. Then Keith smiled "Yeah, and Adam said that he'd show me, but then Shiro threatened him." "What'd he threaten him with?" Lance asked, and I almost jumped. I had forgotten that he was there, and apparently so had the others. Keith rolled his eyes "Oh, hey Lance. He threatened not to fuck him for the rest of the year." he finished with a cringe. "Oh gross man!' James exclaimed, and Veronica went "EwW!", and Pidge just looked mildly uncomfortable. We talked for about another hour, and then one by one, we left until it was just me, Veronica, and James. Lance had left about halfway through to go play with some little kids. "So, James, what happened after we left?" I asked, wanting to know. He shrugged and blushed "Well, Pidge went inside, and me and Keith just talked. I asked him i he wanted to take a picture with me, and when he asked why I said so we don't forget what each other look like, and he said I could never forget your face". I stood behind him, and he was trying to take the picture, but he was holding the phone wrong, so I reached around him to fix it, and his body was pressed against my chest. So it was really awkward for me. Then my dad pulled up, and before I left he pulled me into a hug. And he looked so sad when I left and I just wanted to stay with him! And like, the second we pulled away, I already missed him!" James was a blushing mess, and I looked at Veronica, who was no doubt thinking the same thing. Oh my god why didn't you tell him! "And then, my dad was all like "Who's that?" and asked me questions about him the whole way home!" Veronica smiled "Let me guess, you answered all of them and were a blushing mess, and then had to repeat the process with you mom?" "Yes! It was so weird!" James exclaimed, burying his face in his hands. I laughed "Well that's what you get for not telling them anything about your life last year. You get extra questions this time." "Yes! It's exactly like that! My dad even suggested that he was the one I'd end up marrying!" At this point, his face was beet red, and he was in a state of gay panic. "James, calm down. He's your dad. He's just messing with you." Veronica said. But then I got an idea. "But what if they do get married? Would Keith become Keith Griffin, or Keith Griffin-Kogane? Or the opposite?" Me and Veronica burst out laughing, and James screamed "GUYS!!WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!AHHH!!" Me and Veronica continued laughing "Y-yeah, and who'd have the kids? Would you guys have kids?" Veronica said, and we started laughing even more. "VERoNICA!!WHY?!?!" James looked like a fucking tomato, which just made us laugh harder. "AUUGHH!!!! I CAN'T TALK TO YOU GUYS WHEN YOU'RE LIKE THIS!" and he exited the chat. After me and Veronica finally stopped laughing I said "They're definitely gonna get married. And they'll probably adopt." She nodded solemnly "Yeah. Anyway, Ima go, It's almost dinner time. Bye Kinkade." she waved, and I waved back. "Bye V." and she left. I sighed. It was going to be weird not having them and the disaster gays around. But I'd finally get some peace and quiet.


	28. At Home With Shadam

Keith POV 

After a few more days at the Garrison, me, Shiro and Adam finally went home. "Finally!" I exclaimed, jumping out out of the truck. "I'm home!" I ran inside, with my backpack on. "Hurry up guys!" I yelled at Shiro and Adam, who were still taking their stuff out of the car. "Maybe we'll get there sooner if you helped us with our stuff!" Shiro yelled. I sighed, and ran back to the car. I picked up two of the bags and ran back to the door. "Why do you guys have so much stuff? Me and James have less stuff combined than just you Shiro." Adam smiled "Because he has a lot of eyeliner and hair stuff." I rolled my eyes "Really Shiro?" And he smiled sheepishly "What? I want to look nice." "Does looking nice involve a few dozen kinds of makeup?" I deadpanned, and Shiro frowned. "Bully." "Here we have it everyone, one of the best pilots ever is a six year old! Give it up for Takahashi Shirogane Kogane!" Adam and I laughed, while Shiro pouted.

Adam shook his head and went to unlock the door. I ran inside and dropped the bags on the floor. "I'M HOME!" I screamed, running to my room. I threw my door open and jumped on my bed "Ahhh. It's nice to be home." Adam smiled and went to him and Shiro's room, dragging a few bags with him. Shrio soon followed, with an evil smile on his face and a few bags in his hand. A few seconds passed, and I heard Adam yell "Shiro! NO! We just got home! AND KEITH IS HERE!" "But Adam" Shiro whined. I smiled. So Shiro wanted..something. I banged on the wall "THE ONLY BANGING I WANT TO HEAR IS THE BANGING THAT I'M DOING ON THE WALL!" I heard Adam laugh and Shiro started gay panicking "AAAAAAHH! KEITHHHHHHH!" Adam just kept laughing. He walked by and said "Good one Keith. Now come on,we're going out for dinner." I nodded and walked out. "So where are we going?" "Probably Peter Piper's Pizza or something. I'm in a pizza mood." I smiled and nodded. ""Sounds good. And then we can destroy him at ski ball and other games." Adam smiled "Yeah, then he can bat us at driving and flying games. Then we waste money on tokens so we get tickets to buy useless prizes." We both laughed, knowing that we'd be there for at least two hours. Shiro walked out, in jeans and a tshirt. "You guys should change out of your Garrison clothes. Don't want to look weird at Peter Piper's." I realized that we were both still I our uniforms, and me and Adam rushed to change. I walked out in black jeans, back shirt, and my red jacket. "Ah, the emo has come out." I smiled "Shut up Shiro."

We got in the car and drove to Peter Piper's. The staff knew us from our numerous previous visits. "Hey Keith! Adam, Shiro. How you guys doing today?" Shiro smiled "Good. How bout you Jordan?" Jordan smiled "Pretty good. No bday parties today. So will that be the usual ? Three adults buffets and 300 tokens? And you'll be back for more right?" Adam smiled "You know it Jordan. But yeah, that's it for now." Jordan smiled and started pushing buttons. And handed us some cups Alright, that's 50 bucks. Credit?" Shrio nodded and pulled out his wallet. After he got it swiped, we practically ran towards the food. We filled our cups with Coca Cola and ran to get pizza. I stacked my plate fu of pepperoni and cheese, Adam filled his with supreme and cheese, and Shiro got supreme and Hawaiian. After we sat down, we started shoving food in our mouths. "Shiro, how can you eat that? Pineapple on pizza is a sin." Shiro shook his head "I can't believe you're still saying that. It's been years. If Adam can accept it's you can too." Adam shook his head and smiled "Yeah, but that's because I have an unconditional love for you. Keith doesn't." I nodded and Shiro gasped. "Keith, is that true?" I nodded, smiling "He's right Shiro. He may think that you're perfect, but I know that you aren't." I said with a smirk. Shiro gasped and Adam smiled. We continued to eat and make jokes for a while longer.

Then we started playing the games. Me and Adam destroyed Shrio at skee ball and shooting games. The he destroyed us at the racing and flying games. We ended up blowing 40 more bucks on tokens. In the end, we had over 50 thousand tickets, and we got a bunch of worthless crap. "Ooh, ooh, I want Sour Patch Kids!" I said "No! Get AirHead bites!" Adam said. "Well, jokes on both of you. I'm getting Pixy stixs." Me and Adam pouted. "Well, then I want the big red sword. It looks cool." Shiro gasped "But its 15,000 tickets!" Adam exclaimed. "Then I get the big stuffed dog." I nodded "Fine by me." Shiro pouted "But that's almost a of our tickets! Then I want the black sword!" Me and Adam looked at each other, then nodded. "Fine." I said, and Shiro told the guy behind the counter. The guy looked relieved "Well, that's all your tickets. Have a good day!" He said with forced cheerfulness.

We filled our arms with our prizes and walked out with huge smiles on our faces. We loaded it all in the back seat of the truck, and sang along to our playlist all the way home. Taylor Swift, MCR, some PATD!. We sang along the whole ride home. When we got home, me and Shiro jumped out of the truck and grabbed our swords. As Adam watched and laughed, we started to sword fight in the front lawn. "YOU CAN'T STOP ME! I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Shiro yelled, swinging at my head. "I WILL FUCK YOU UP WORSE THAN YOU FUCKED ADAM'S ASS ON HIS BIRTHDAY!" I said, swinging at his legs. Adam laughed and Shiro went bright red. "I WILL DEFEND MY FUTURE HUSBAND'S HONOR!" Adam went bright red and then Shiro ran swinging his sword at me wildly. I ran to meet him, and right before he swung, I ducked down and swung at his legs. He fell flat on his ass and I stole his sword. "HAHA! I AM VICTORIOUS!" Adam laughed and Shiro pouted. "You cheated." I had out a hand, which he took, and yanked him up. 


	29. Proposal

Keith POV 

Adam walked over, blushing with a big smile on his face "So..I'm your future husband?" Shiro's face went bright red and he smiled "W-well," he said, reaching for his pocket and getting down on one knee "Only if you say yes." And Adam's eyes went wide, and he covered his mouth. I started jumping up and down excitedly.

"Adam, I've been in love with you since the day that I met you. And every day since, I've fallen deeper in love with you. You've been the light in my life ever since we started dating. You helped me get over my parents deaths, and raise my brother. Even when I was an emotional wreck and couldn't get my act together, you stayed there with me. You've been there as long as I can remember, and I can't imagine my life without you in it. I love you with all of my heart, and will keep loving you until the day I die. So, will you make me the happiest man in existence, and marry me?" Shiro finished, eyes shining with hope.

Adam looked at him, tears welling in his eyes. He nodded. "Y-yes. Yes." Shiro jumped up and smiled brightly, practically glowing with happiness, and slipped the ring on Adam's finger. Then, they kissed. I umped up and down excitedly. They were FINALLY getting MARRIED! I couldn't wait to tell the others! When they finally broke away from each other, both of them had happy tears running down their face, and were pink. "I love you Adam. I will until the day I die." Shiro said, and Adam nodded "I love you to Shiro." They held each other, and I couldn't believe it. My dads were finally getting married. Yes I know that they aren't my real dads, but they practically raised me. Shiro looked at me from where he and Adam were still hugging and motioned for me to join. I ran over excitedly and hugged them both. "I can't believe you guys are FINALLY getting MARRIED!" Adam smiled, tears still running down his face. "You and me both Keith, you and me both." We stood there hugging for a while before Shiro said "You know, we should probably get inside. We still have to find a place for all of our new stuff." Adam nodded, and we broke apart. Me and Shiro ran around picking up our toys and candy while Adam stared in amazement at the ring on his finger.

Shiro looked at him and smiled. They had been through a lot together, and they deserved to be happy together. They'd be the best parents to whatever kids they eventually had or adopted. They'd be happy as long as they had each other. I walked into the house with prizes in my hands, smiling. Maybe happily ever after exists for some people.


	30. Hover bike

It's been a few weeks since Shiro proposed, and they're planning to get married in a few years. They told Keith not to tell anyone, because they're going to announce it when the school year starts, which is in early August.

Keith POV

Shiro and Adam have been like lovesick puppies for the past few weeks. Adam's constantly staring at his ring, as if he looked away it would disappear. I guess him and Shiro getting married has always been a dream of his, and he worries that he might wake up.

Adam was at the Garrison with Matt and Mr.Holt, so it was just me and Shiro in the house. The second Adam left, he ran towards the garage. Curious, I followed him. He smiled when he saw me "Hey Keith. Guess what we're going to do today." I shrugged "Probably something Adam wouldn't like." He smiled and nodded. He walked over to something covered in a big white cloth, and yanked it off to reveal "A HOVER BIKE!" I screamed. "Shiro! This is so cool! Where'd you get this?" I ran over to it, and started running my hands over it. It was a bright red, with black and white stripes. He smiled "I got it from the Garrison. I'll be teaching the class on it. Instead of learning how to drive a car at 16, you guys are going to learn how to drive one of these babies. I figured, why not have someone who already knows how to ride these help me? It also might help them impress a certain boy..." I turned pink and glared at Shiro. "So you're going to teach me how to ride one of these? Do you have another?" He shook his head "No, but for once it's good that we live close to the desert." I nodded absentmindedly, still staring at the bike "Does the Garrison ave ones like this?" I asked, turning towards Shiro, who shook his head and smiled "Nope. Those have Garrison colors. Our is black and red, me and my little brothers favorite colors." "What about Adam?" Shiro smiled "You and I both know that he'll probably never get on this." I nodded. Shiro was right. Adam thought that these things were death traps. "So, we'll be practicing driving these and the flight simulator?" this was sounding more and more like school. The best parts, but still school. Shiro nodded "Yeah, but you've done it all before. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it." "Says the record breaking pilot to the 15 year old." I smirked. "What can I say?I'm a natural. Now come one" he said, throwing a helmet at me "Lets go. Adam will only be gone for a few hours, and I want you to be able to ride it by then." I caught the helmet and nodded. Shiro walked the bike out of the garage and into the street. He jumped on the front and motioned for me to sit behind him. I climbed on, and we sped off. It. Was. AMAZING. "WHOO!" I yelled, feeling the wind rush past me. I loved it. We stopped abruptly, and I almost fell off the bike. Shiro laughed, and I punched him in the arm. "Ow! Damn Keith. That hurt." I smirked, climbing off the bike "I've been doing pushups. I guess they made me stronger." he frowned at me, then got off the bike. "Okay, so here's the engine button. That's the turn signal, that's the thrusters.." he explained what every button and switch did. I nodded as he talked, only half listening. I had watched Shiro driving, and had a pretty good idea of how to drive it. "Yeah, yeah. Can I ride it now?" Shiro raised his eyebrow at me "You sure? It can be pretty difficult at first." I nodded "I can do it. If I fall, I'll just get back up." he nodded, and I climbed on. I put my hand on the bars, and revved them. 

Then, I sped off. It was weird at first, but then, like magic, it all clicked. I went faster, leaning while I turned, jumping off sand dunes and doing half turn mid air. I looked around, and Shiro was nowhere in sight. I looked behind me, and realized, to my luck, that I had left tracks. I tuned around and sped off, following my tracks. I soon spotted Shiro, yelling my name. "KEITH! KEITH!K-KEITH!" Oh shit he sounded like he was going to cry. "SHIRO!" I yelled, and he spotted me "KEITH! YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH!" He ran towards me and I stopped the bike and hopped off. He grabbed me and pulled into a hug. "Keith you fucking jackass I thought you were lost! I was about to call Adam." I rolled me eyes "Shiro, I was only gone for like 5 minutes." He pulled back and raised an eyebrow "Keith, you were gone for an hour." "What?!? Really? Wow. It felt like minutes." I smiled "I guess that I'm a natural." He rolled his eye and wiped them "Oh my god Keith. I can't believe you. Just..wow. I was scared bro. I thought you were gone." "Shiro, I'm fine. And I'm here now." He looked at me and sighed "True. And you are a natural. If you're this good on the bikes, I can't imagine how good you'll be on the flight simulator." I smiled "Yeah. I just might beat a few of you records." Shrio smiled "Yeah. Watch out Galaxy Garrison, the Kogane gays are coming for you!" We laughed. "So, how about we head on home? Adam will be home soon." I nodded and walked over to the bike, climbing on the back. "Oh, no no no. You'll be driving Mr.Nautral." I smiled and moved to the front. Shiro climbed on to the back, and I took off. "HOLY SHIT KEITH WHAT THE FUCKKKK" Shiro screamed, hanging on tightly. I had put the bike to its highest speed. "What? Can't handle it?" "I'M GOING TO KILL YOUUUUUU!" I smiled and continued speeding through the desert.


	31. Adam Found Out

Keith POV 

We pulled up to the house and Shiro jumped off the bike. "KEITH I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" I cracked up laughing. He had been screaming the entire ride back, and it was hilarious! I smiled "Sure you are. But if you kill me, my ghost will come back and tell Adam." "I already know." Adam said, stepping out of the doorway. Shiro jumped in the air and I froze, turning slowly. "Hi dad." Adam smiled "That's sweet Keith, but you're still in trouble." Shiro smiled "Hey baby...what's up?" "Don't even try Takashi. I could hear you screaming since I got home." He looked mad at first, then he burst out laughing. I joined him, and Shiro just pouted. "Its not funny." "H-he screams so-so high pitched!" I nodded in agreement, trying to breathe. After me and Adam finally stopped laughing, he stared at his fiance. "Why Shiro? If you had asked me I would've said yes. Why sneak around? Especially if you're going to scream while doing it." Shiro smiled sheepishly "Well, the screaming wasn't planned. But I had mentioned it earlier, and you started saying that it was dangerous and stuff!" Adam rolled his eyes and walked towards Shiro "Well, yeah, cause Keith had interrupted something and wanted to get him out of our room." A look of realization crossed over his face "Ohhhh. That explains why you kissed me afterwards. So you're okay with it?" Adam nodded and smiled "Of course. But next time wait until I'm here. I want to see Keith drive. And see you scream instead of hearing it." I smiled "Well, maybe I don't want you to see me screaming." Shiro said as he put his hands on Adam's waist and pulled him close "Maybe I want to make you scream~." He said seductively, and Adam went light pink. "Shiro, gross. I'm right here." He just shrugged and looked at Adam and whispered in his ear, and he turned even pinker. "Shiro.. not now. Keith's right there." I nodded vigorously "Yeah, I don't want to hear or see any of.." I motioned to them "That." Adam nodded "At least what until he's staying with the Holts." My face scrunched up in disgust "Eww, gross. Please tell me you guys don't fuck in my room or the couch." Shiro shook his head only our room. Even if you wouldn't know if we did it anywhere else, we'd know and it's be weird." Adam nodded "Yeah. No proper dads would fuck on your bed." I smiled "Thanks Adam. Well, I'm going to go inside and shower, try not to be defile our driveway." They nodded, and I went inside. After I got out of the shower, I found a pair of fingerless gloves and a pair of keys on my bed, along with a note.

_Dear Keith,_

_I have a feeling that you'll be riding the bike a lot, so here are some gloves and a set of keys. Don't take the bike out past 10._

_Love, Adam_

I smiled to myself, pulling on the gloves. They were soft. And I had pretty much just gotten my own ride. Wait until I tell Pidge. She's gonna love this. 


	32. Call with Griff

Keith POV

I walked towards my dresser, getting out some clothes. I had gotten my pants on when my phone started vibrating. And when I looked to see who it was. I almost dropped it in surprise. It was James! He wanted to video call! I fumbled for a minute before finally being able to click "Accept".

His face appeared on the screen, with a huge smile "Hey Kitten, what's up?" I smiled. He looked as beautiful as ever. "Nothing much. You?" he shrugged "Nothing really." he looked me up and down " Why aren't you wearing a shirt? Not like I haven't seen it before, but why?" I could feel my face heating up and fumbled for a second, almost dropping the phone again. "I just got out of the shower. I was getting dressed when you called. What,"I asked, cocking an eyebrow "Don't you like what you see?" His face went a light pink before he said "Put some clothes on Kitten." I smirked "Sure thing Grif." As I put my shirt on I asked "So what's up? Normally you wait until the video chats with the others before we talk." he shrugged "I guess that I just wanted to talk to you. Is it so wrong for me to miss you?" I sat down on my bed and shook my head "No. I miss you too. I was just wondering is all." he smiled "It's good. So..you haven't done anything interesting so far this summer?" I shook my head. Then I remembered that we had gone to Peter Piper's Pizza, the ring, and the bike. But I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about that. I looked at James through the phone "Can you keep a few secrets?" "Ooh, secrets. Of course. Anything for you Kitten." I smiled, feeling myself blush a bit at the name. "Well, me, Shiro and Adam went to Peter Piper's Pizza and blew probably close to a hundred dollars on tokens and entry. We got around 50,00 tickets, and got a bunch of useless junk. Candy, a stuffed dog for Adam, and red and black swords for me and Shiro. When we got home me and Shiro started sword fighting in the yard." We both laughed and James said "You? Versus Shiro? Who won?" I smirked "Me, of course. We were yelling at each other the whole time too. He was all "YOU CANT STOP ME! I WILL DESTROY YOU!" and I told him "I WILL FUCK YOU UP WORSE THAN YOU FUCKED ADAM'S ASS ON HIS BIRTHDAY!"" We both burst out laughing "You actually said that? Keith what the fuck?" James said, trying not to laugh. I smiled "Yeah. Then Shiro got all mad and ran at me, screaming "I WILL DEFEND MY FUTURE HUSBAND'S HONOR!". Then I ran at him and hit his legs and he fell. After he got up, Adam was all "So, I'm your future husband?" and Shiro went bright red. And he was surprisingly smooth, and pulled a ring box out of his pocket and said "Only if you say yes." then did this big sappy speech, and Adam said yes. So now they're engaged, and Adam won't stop staring at his ring." I looked at James, who was just smiling at me fondly. "What?" he shook his head "Nothing. You just look really cute when you're happy." My face went bright red "W-wHa-what?" He realized what he said "Oh shit! i-i mean- you do- and--UGHH!" he buried his face in something, probably a pillow. I just stared in shock. James thought I was cute? JAMES THOUGHT I WAS CUTE!! He might like me too!! He looked up at me "Sorry, uh, it I made that awkward." I smiled, still blushing "No problem. Thanks, I guess." "So.. when are they getting married?" James asked, changing the subject. "In a few years. They want a BIG wedding, so it'll cost a LOT. They have to save up and stuff. How about you? Anything happen to you?" he shrugged "Not really. But we're going to the fair in a few days. I think it's called Cornyval or something." 

I sat straight up **(haha not)** "You're going to Cornyval? That's amazing! We're going to!" James sat up "Really? Well what is it like? I haven't been since I was little, before we moved. I don't really remember what it looks like." I was bouncing up and down "It's amazing! They have food, and rides, and games, and live bands, and some shops and rides!" "You already said rides." James pointed out. I nodded "Well, yeah, they're the best part. There's the classics, like a ferris wheel and swings, but there's also some that spin around _really_ fast and then go upside down! It's super fun!" James smiled "You may want to calm down Kitten. You look like you're high." "I kinda am. Cornyval is one of the best parts of summer! We go every year. Maybe we'll see you there!" I felt myself simile brightly, and James's face lit up."Yeah! Maybe we could even get Shiro and my parents to plan to go on the same day!" I raised an eyebrow "James? Are you asking me to meet your parents? This sounds a lot like a date." James started blushing like crazy "U-uh-I mean-uh. It can be. If you want it to be." He said, rushing the last part. My eyes went wide. Holy shit. HOLY SHIT. **_HOLY MOTHER FUCKING SHIT_**. James likes me. James LIKES ME! "Uh-uh-yeah. Yeah. I'd like that." I stammered out, face bright red. James smiled brightly "Great!! 


	33. Plans

James POV

I can't believe it. He blew me a FUCKING KISS. I'm going to DIE. And he probably likes me too. I sighed and fell back on my bed. He was simply too cute. "James! Hurry up!" my mom yelled. "Coming!" I yelled back. I plugged my phone in and ran out of my room and down the stairs. I sat at the table where my parents were waiting. I started eating my food, which was spaghetti, when I noticed that neither of my parents has begun eating yet. "Um, am I in trouble?" "No." my dad said, and I was about to put another bite in my mouth when my mom asked "So..who were you talking to?" my jaw dropped, and so did my food. "What?" My mom smiled "Who were you talking to? Was it Keith?" "Why do you want to know?" "Because we heard you mention going to Cornyval with them." "Yeah. It was Keith. Him, his brother and the Holts live near the Garrison, and his family is planning on going. We talked about possibly getting you guys and Shiro and Adam talking, that way we could all go together." My dad smiled "Oh? You want him to meet us? You must really like him." I smiled to myself, thinking about all the fun we had together "Yeah. I do." My mom smiled brightly "Well then of course we'll try and go on the same day. Get us these Shiro and Adam peoples numbers. I'd love to talk to Keith's dads." Oh right. They didn't know. "Um, actually, Keith's an orphan. Shiro's his brother and Adam is Shiro's boyfriend. Well, now he's his fiance." "Oh. Poor boys, losing their parents. Do you know Adam and Shiro well?" I nodded "Yeah. They work at the Garrison. Adam's mentor. They're really nice." "Yeah, and besides, if Keith is as amazing as James makes him out to be, they must be great guardians." My dad said, looking at me. I smiled "They are. And I'll ask Keith for their numbers next time we talk." Mom smiled "Great. How he's doing? You don't tell us much about him, not since the beginning of the summer." I felt my face going pink "Well, that's because you guys bugged me about it for weeks after. But he's doing great. Shiro proposed after they went to Peter Piper's Pizza, and he pretty much got his own hover bike." My dads head shot up "A hover bike? Really? /thats so cool. Honey we have to meet these guys!" My mom smiled and shook her head "I'll never understand your obsession with those things. But yes, they do sound like great people. When could we meet them?"" She directed the last part at me "At Cornyval, after I ask Keith for their numbers." she nodded, and my dad resumed eating with energy, obviously excited to meet Adam and Shiro. The rest of dinner went in silence, each of us caught up in our own thoughts.

After dinner, I got Shiro's and Adam's numbers from Keith, and gave them to my parents. From up in my room, I could hear them talking late into the night, and some of it was embarrassing. "You know, James had the biggest crush on him. Whenever we ask about him he goes on and on about how his eyes are a "Beautiful violet, that shine and look like galaxies when he's happy." Those are his exact words." a pause "Hahah! Really? Wow. Well, James can be kind of oblivious at times." On and on like that for hours. Well, I'm fucked. Now Shiro and Adam know that I like Keith. A LOT. And now Keith might know, if he was listening. I buried my face in my pillow. This is what happens when you tell your parents something. They tell other parents.


	34. Parents

Adam POV

Not too long after Keith got off his call, he walked up to me and Shiro and asked if he could talk to us. We shared a look, worried. "Sure Keith." We followed him to the living room. We sat on the couch and he sat on the chair "Well, um, I was talking to James.." Shiro jumped "Ooohh. Did you tell him?" Keith went pink "N-no! Shrio! No. We were talking, and he mentioned that him and his parents were going to Cornyval, and I told him that we were going too. So..we though maybe that we could all go together? and if you guys are okay with it, I need to give James your numbers to give to his parents." I smiled. So this was kind of like a first date and meet the parents. Interesting. "Of course we're okay with it. Right Shiro?" I looked at my fiance, who nodded "Yeah of course Keith. Do we get to meet James too?" Keith blushed, and nodded. "Yeah. But DON'T tell him that I like him. I don't even know if he likes boys." "We won't. Wether or not you tell him is your call." he smiled at me "Thanks Adam." he got up to leave, and just before he got into the hall he turned and asked "Oh, by the way, is it okay if I call you guys my dads? Because you are." I was shocked. I looked over at Shiro, who was frozen. Then he smiled proudly "Of course Keith." I felt my eyes start to water. "That'd be great." He smiled at us softly before descending down the hall. I turned towards Shiro "We're his dads. We're 23 year olds with a 15, almost 16 year old son." he looked at me, then burst out laughing "Yeah. What is Iverson gonna say about this?" I shrugged "I don't care."

Then my phone started vibrating. It was a video call from an unknown number. "It must be James's parents. Accept it." Shiro said, and I nodded. I opened the call, and was greeted with a nice looking couple, both probably in their 30s or 40s. "Hi! You must be Shiro and Adam! I'm Erica, and this is my husband, Chris." the woman said, motioning to the man near her "Hi! Yes, I'm Adam, and this is my fiance Shiro." Shiro waved "Hi." She smiled "You guys make a very nice couple. Do you have a wedding date yet?" I shook my head "No, not yet. But we want a big wedding, and we need to save up, so it'll be in a few years." She smiled "That's lovely! Well, I assume Keith told you why we're calling." Shiro nodded "Yeah, it's for their date-not-date at Cornyval." I slapped his arm "Shiro! They might not know!" and Erica smiled. "Oh, we know. James talk very fondly about Keith. You know, James has the biggest crush on him. Whenever we ask about him he goes on and on about how his eyes are a "Beautiful violet, that shine and look like galaxies when he's happy." Those are his exact words." We all laughed "Yeah, Keith's the same way. going on and on about his "golden brown eyes" and how "they look like the sunset"." Shiro said, and we all laughed. Chris smiled "Hahah! Really? Wow! Well, James can be kind of oblivious at times." I smiled "It's obvious that they like each other but they just won't admit it." Chris nodded "They're worried about ruining their friendship. And if it goes wrong, they're stuck with each other for the rest of their time at the Garrison." I nodded. We continued to talk for about two more hours, about the boys, and making plans for Cornyval. "Well, it was great getting to talk to you guys, but we have to go." I said, and Shiro nodded and yawned. Chris smiled "That's okay. We'll see you guys next Saturday" we waved and hung up. I turned towards Shiro, who looked like he was about to fall asleep "Why do I have a feeling that our wedding is going to end with one of them proposing?" He smiled "Probably. And it'll probably be James proposing, not Keith." I smiled, thinking of what it would be like. "Yeah. I can't believe that they haven't told each other yet." "Well remember how long it took for us to tell each other? It took a year and a half." "Yeah, but they've already known each other for two years Shiro. TWO YEARS. They must be pining their asses off." He nodded in agreement "Definitely. Well, I'm gonna go to bed." he stood and kissed me on the cheek "Love you." then walked down the hall towards our bedroom. "Love you too." As I watched him walk away, I smiled. Partly because Shiro had a nice ass, and because I think Keith was finally going to admit his feelings to James.


	35. Cornyval pt.1

**Cornyval is a real thing in Helotes, Texas. They have rides, games, food, live music, etc. In this story, the Garrison is in Texas, so there will probably also be a rodeo part**

Keith POV 

Shiro and Adam told me the next day that we were gonna meet them at Cornyval next Saturday. I spent the next week waiting anxiously in anticipation of what was to come. When Saturday finally rolled around, I was bouncing with excitement. I was wearing a black V-neck, black ripped jeans, and my red and black plaid around my waist. Ok, I'll admit, I was a little emo. I sat on the back of the truck, waiting for Shiro and Adam. They were probably messing with Shiro's eyeliner. It took him FOREVER to do that, and if it wasn't perfect, he freaked out. When they finally walked out, Adam was in jeans, a white shirt and a denim jacket. Shiro had on blue jeans and a black V-neck, like mine. I smiled, ad jumped off the back of the truck. "Finally. Can we get going?"

Adam smiled "Someone's excited." I blushed a little "Well, yeah, I haven't seen him in like, a month. Let's go." "Uh, Keith, are yu forgetting something?" Shiro asked, and I turned to see him holding money. Right. Rides and stuff cost money. "Thanks Shiro." I said, walking over and taking it from him. When I counted it, my eyes went wide "A HUNDRED DOLLARS??!! Really?" I exclaimed, smiling brightly. Adam laughed and nodded "We figured that you and James would probably go on a bunch of rides while us parents talked." I was so happy that I hugged both of them. "Thanks Dads." I whispered, and pulled away. Adam looked super happy, and Shiro looked proud. It was going to take some time to get used to calling Shiro "Dad", but with Adam it was like second nature. We got in the car and began the long drive to Helotes. We were about two hours away, but that feels like forever when you're in the cramped backseat of a truck and someone (cough Shiro cough) is playing Britney Spears and Taylor Swift, and singing along. I shook my head. Shiro was trying to sing along, terribly, and Adam was laughing and recording him. They were so in love. I honestly don't know why they aren't already married. I pulled out my phone and earbuds and started playing some music. The first one was "High Hopes" by PATD!. I smiled. That was one of my favorite songs. I opened messages and started texting James.

Kitten- Hey James

Griff-Hey Kitten

I felt myself blush. I don't know why I liked that nickname so much. It just felt right.

Kitten- Nothing much. We just left the house

Griff-Cool. we'll be leaving in a bit

Kitten- Shiro's singing along to Taylor Swift

Griff- what? really?

I smiled. James was gonna love this

Kitten- Yes. Adam has video proof

Griff- Kitten, you have to send that to me

Kitten-

Griff- holy shit 😂

Kitten- ikr? and he's surprisingly good at it

Griff- can u sing? if your bro can't shouldn't you be able to?

Crap. Yeah, I could sing, but I only did it when I was alone. Never in front of people or where they could hear. But maybe I could sing for James. Someday.

Kitten- maybe....

Griff- will u sing 4 me? please?

Kitten nope

Grif- please?

Kitten- no

Griff- Pleasee?

Kitten- nooo

Griff- why?

Kitten- cause

Griff- cause why?

I smiled. He thought he was going to get an answer out of me. He thought wrong

Kitten-because

I said no

Griff- Kitten plz

I'll buy you something at Cornyval

Kitten- like what?

Griff- idk

something shiny

Kitten-🤔

I do like shiny things

Griff- so.. you'll sing 4 me

Kitten- no

not at Cornyval

Griff- boo

someday?🙏

I sighed. He would continue asking until I gave in.

Kitten- someday.

but not today

Griff- yay

So.. what exactly is Cornyval for?

Kitten- idk, corn?

it's in the name

Griff- but why?

Kitten- idk ask google

Griff- ok

He stopped responding, so I assumed he was googling it. I laid my head back in my seat, staring out the window. A song started playing. I smiled. It was Talk by Khalid.

_Can't we just talk?  
Can't we just talk?  
Talk about where we're goin'  
Before we get lost_

I closed my eyes, listening to the song.

_Let me out first  
Can't get what we want without knowin'  
I've never felt like this before  
I apologize if I'm movin' too far_

_Can't we just talk?_  
Can't we just talk?  
Figure out where we're growin'

I leaned my head against the window, and let the music take me away.

The next thing I knew, Adam was shaking me awake. "Keith, come one, wake up. We're here." I groaned and opened my eyes. I was greeted with Adam and Shiro's faces, and the big Ferris wheel. I rubbed my eyes "How long was I asleep?" Adam shrugged "About an hour, give or take. You missed Shiro's very amazing version of "I Want It That Way". It was truly.. entertaining." I fake pouted "Aww, boo. I missed more of Shiro's singing? That's too bad." I got out of the truck, stuffing my phone and earbuds in my pocket. I sighed and stretched. Finally, we were at Cornyval. When our dad was alive, he took us here every year. Granted it was only for a year with me, but Shiro says he and dad came here every year. It's like a connection to our past. Along with this really cool knife. I didn't have any idea what it was made of, or where it was from, it just appeared in my room one day. Shiro doesn't know about it, and I'd rather keep it that way. We locked up the car and started walking towards the entrance. 


	36. Cornyval pt.2

Keith POV

After we paid to get in, Shiro called the Griffins. "Hi! We're here. We just walked in the entrance, right next to the pony rides. Where are you guys?" i heard some noise, and he nodded "The stage? Which one? By the food? Okay, we'll be there in a few minutes." He hung up and turned towards me and Adam. "Ok, they're at the stage in the back, by the food. Let's go." We started the long walk through the festival, occasionally stopping to look at something. Shiro kept looking at the metal things, like the wolves and dogs. Adam wanted to look at the clothes, and I wasn't really interested in any of it. But a jewelry stand caught my eye. On it were some beautiful rings. All with rainbow gems and colors.

I walked over to the booth and picked one of them up. The man at the stall saw me "You interested in that one kid?" I just nodded, still mesmerized by the ring. "You know, if you're looking for a rainbow ring, come back in about an hour or two, and I'll have even more." I smiled at the man "Thanks. If you don't mind me asking, why exactly are you selling rainbow rings? Are they meant to be gay or just pretty?" He shrugged "The meaning of the ring depends on the person wearing the ring. For some people, it's a pretty accessory. For others, it's a statement." I smiled. I liked this man. "Well, I'll definitely be here later. Thank you." He waved "See ya kid." I waved back, and walked towards Adam and Shiro. "What were you doing Keith?" Adam asked, holding Shiro's hand. I shrugged "Something caught my eye is all." "Ok. But we should probably get to the stage. The Griffin's are waiting." Shiro said, and we began walking towards the stage again. Adam and Shiro smiled brightly when they spotted a couple, a man and a woman. They smiled and started walking towards us. They must be James's parents. The woman has dark brown hair, with light brown eyes. The man has light brown hair, almost blond, with light brown eyes. "Shiro! Adam!" she exclaims, obviously excited to meet them in person. "Erica! Chris!" Adam says. They hug, while Shiro and Chris shake hands. She lets go of Adam and turns towards me "And you must be Keith! We've heard so much about you! I feel like I know you already." She reaches her hand out, which I shake. "I'm James's mom, but you can just call me Erica. This is my husband Chris." I let go of her hand, and Chris smiled and waved at me "Hi Keith." I smiled at them.They seemed nice "Hi. It's nice to meet you. Where's James?" 

Then I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind. I froze a bit "Hey Kitten." I smiled. "Hey Griff." He kept his arms around me and out his chin on my shoulder at the same time that I leaned my head back to rest on his. He had a smile on his face, and I knew that I did too. I was highly aware of the fact that my back was against his chest, and how close our faces were. But I was comfortable. We just stood there in silence as the parents talked excitedly. "So..how you doing?" James asked, whispering in my ear. I giggled a bit. His breath tickled my shoulder. He turned a little pink "I'm doing great. Even more so because I'm in your arms." I blushed a bit on the end, and he smiled. "Really? Well, after we talk, maybe this can happen more often." I smiled, and we realized that the parents had gone silent. They were all just staring at us, with proud smile on their faces. "What?" I asked. Adam shook his head "Nothing. Just thinking." Chris nodded "Yeah. Well, how about we go get some food? I'm starving." I shook my head "But if we want to go on rides we have to wait to eat or we'll get sick." I felt James nod on my shoulder "Yeah, and I wanna go on that spinny thing I saw earlier." Erica shook her head "I don't know how you guys can ride those things. I would get sick, no matter when I ate." "Well," I said, looking at James "Me and James could go on some rides while you guys go get food. That way we all get to do what we want." Shiro nodded "Sounds like a plan. You guys have fun. But not too much fun." he finished with a smirk, and Chris smiled. "Shiro!" I yelled, feeling my face turning red. James just looked shocked. Erica and Adam shook their head disapprovingly. I untangled myself from James and grabbed his hand "Come on James." we left the adults behind, and walked away hand in hand.

James POV

So Keith liked me too? Wow. That was great. I barely registered him untangling himself from me and leading us away from our parents. He seemed annoyed. I readjusted my grip on his hand "So..what did Shiro mean by that?" And he stopped walking. He turned towards me, face bright pink " Well, uh, I, um." I smiled "Kitten, do you like me?" I asked, in a playful voice. He looked at me, then yanked me behind something, A stage I think. It was a secluded area, and I didn't see anyone else there. He was still holding my hand, and was facing me, eyes on the ground "Keith?" I asked, this time in a serious tone, "Do you like me? I-I have to know. B-because I like you." He looked up at me, surprised. "Really?" he asked, in a soft voice. I nodded and smiled sheepishly "Y-yeah. Yeah. I do. A lot." I looked him in the eyes. Those beautiful eyes that I had fallen in love with. "Do you like me?" if he didn't I was going to die from embarrassment and heartbreak. He smiled at me "Y-yeah. I like you. A lot. And I have for a while now." I smiled. "Me too. Since about the first day I met you." he smiled at me, blushing brightly. "So..what does that make us?"he asked. I didn't even have to think "Boyfriends? If you want?" he smiled "Yes!" I smiled, and we hugged. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY wanted to kiss him, but I didn't want our first kiss to be in a dark alley-type place. We pulled away from each other and I smiled.

"So..how about we go on some rides?"


	37. Cornyval pt.3

James POV

Me and Keith walked out of the alley thing hand in hand. It was kinda sappy if you thought about it. We had walked into a dark alley holding hands, and were now walking out looking the exact same, but we were now boyfriends. This was the best day ever. "So what ride should we go on first?" I asked, eager to get started. I had seen plenty of cool rides on our way in, but I wanted to see what Keith thought of them. After all, he had been to this before, and remembered it. I hadn't been since I was like 4 or 5. He thought for a minute "We should look for new rides first. Those will be closer and hopefully have shorter lines." I nodded "Lead the way." I followed him through the fair, past numerous shops and food stands. When we finally got to the rides, the first thing I saw was one called "The Sizzler". "How about that one?" i asked, pointing towards the ride. Keith smiled "You like spinny rides?" I nodded "Then hell yeah. But first we need to buy some tickets." After we got our tickets, we got in line. It took about five minutes, in which we joked around and talked. When we finally got on the ride, we ran towards a booth. I immediately sat on the outer edge, and Keith sat next to me. Once the attendant strapped us in, I leaned over and whispered in Keith's ear "I'm willing to bet that you'll end up in my lap Kitten." he turned a light shade of pink then whispered back "Who says that I wouldn't like that?" I felt my face heat up a bit, and saw Keith smirking. "Shut up." he smiled at me. "Make me." I leaned forward "Okay. Fine. I will." At that exact moment, the ride started. Keith screamed in surprise, and I laughed. We spun round and round and round, laughing the whole time. When we got off, Keith almost fell because his legs were so wobbly. I burst out laughing and he glared at me. "Someday that'll happen again and it'll be your fault." and I froze and stopped laughing. Holy shit. He just said that. Out loud. In public. "I said that out loud didn't I?" he asked, and I nodded. He smiled "Well, I'm probably not wrong."

As we walked out of the ride, I was completely silent. Keith liked me that much? He looked at me funny 'What's wrong Griff? Cat got your tongue?" I smirked "No. But I wish a certain Kitten did." His mouth clamped shut and he blushed. "Griff!" I laughed "You did it to me, it's only fair." "Meh" he said sticking his tongue out at me. We continued going on rides, each one fast and/or spinny. When we finally ran out of tickets, we decided that now would be a good time to find our parents and get something to eat. I called my dad to find out where they were "Hey Dad." "Hi James. You guys done with the rides?" "Yeah. Where are you guys?" "We're at the main stage in the back. By the food stands." "Okay, we're on our way." I hung up and turned towards Keith who was kicking the gravel. "Come on" I said, grabbing his hand. It felt so natural, his hand in mine. Like they were made to fit together. "They're at the stage where we met up earlier. We can get something to eat on the way." We walked side by side, in sync, silently. It was nice. "So.. what should we eat?" I asked him, since I had no memory of every eating any of this. He thought for a moment before answering "We should get foot long corndogs. They're really good, and pretty cheap for fair food." I nodded and he lead me towards them. Once we got to the front the guy smiled at us "Hi. What can I get you?"Keith answered "Two foot long corndogs, a large Coke, and.." he trailed off, looking at me "Another Coke." The guy nodded and went to get our food. When he came back he handed us our food "That'll be $15." I handed him the money and he smiled "You guys makes a nice couple." Keith turned light pink and I smiled "Thanks. Come on babe." Me and Keith walked away, close as possible. We couldn't hold hands because we had food and drinks in our hands. Keith looked at me "Uh, so, you're okay with being, open and all about us?" Oh shit. I hadn't even thought about that. "Well, uh yeah. I am. Are you?" I hadn't even thought about that. I was just going with what happened. Keith was still pink, and was eating his corndog. "Well, I am, just not with random people. Like, with Pidge and the others yeah, but not strangers." I nodded "Okay." We walked for a while in silence, eating our corndogs and sipping our drinks. "Slurp. Slurrrp. Slurrrrppp." I gave Keith the evil eye. He just smiled and continued slurping his drink. I finally had enough and stole his drink from him. "Hey! Give it back!" I just smiled and threw it in a nearby trashcan, along with my corndog stick. "Nope." I said, popping the P. Keith pouted. I smiled and put my arm around his shoulder "Come on Kitten, it was empty." He still didn't say anything, but leaned into me. I sighed "Look, you can have some of mine." He looked at me and smiled "Really?" I smiled and nodded "Of course. Besides, it's like 90% ice, so there's not a lot of soda in it." We continued walking towards the stage, arms around each other, occasionally taking sips of my ice with Coke. When we saw our parents, we broke apart and ran towards them. Shiro saw us first "So." he said with a smile "Did you guys do anything fun?" I felt my face heat up a bit, and I smile dat him "Wouldn't you like to know." His eyes hardened, and he stared at me. I rolled my eyes "Relax Shiro, nothing bad happened." "Yes it did." Keith piped in "You threw away my soda." "But it was empty! You were just slurping air!" "It still had some in it!" "No it didn't!" "Yes it did!" "Well it doesn't matter because I gave you some of mine." The adults were all quiet then my dad said "So, when's the wedding? And are you both going to wear tuxedos? Are the flowers going to be a beautiful violet?" I felt my face burn "DAD!" I looked at Keith who was bright red and staring at the ground. Shiro and my dad were laughing their butts off, and my mom and Adam were just smiling and shaking their heads. I walked over to Keith and grabbed his hand. We walked away from our parents, who were still cracking up. We walked aimlessly, in silence. Keith had been silent the entire time "Kitten, are you okay?" He looked up at me, a blush and smile on his face "So...I have beautiful violet eyes?" I smiled and felt myself blush "Yeah. And they get a sparkle in their eyes when you're happy or excited, and they look like galaxies." by now we were both smiling. "Cool. So, since we're here..why don't we look around the shops?" I looked up to see that we were, indeed, in the shops. I shrugged "Why not?" We started walking around, glancing at the shops. "Oh, wait, there's one I want to show you." "Lead the way." He started leading me towards a jewelry stand? "I didn't know you liked jewelry." Keith shrugged "Not normally, unless its a ring or something. But this guy said that he'd have a bunch of rainbow rings when I was looking earlier." I was surprised. Keith didn't strike me as the jewelry type. Then again, he didn't strike me as strong, but he was practically dragging me towards the stand. There was a huge selection of jewelry, and a bunch of rainbow rings. It was like gay jewelry heaven. A few of them really stuck out.

I just stared at them, while Keith would pick up one or two of them, seeing if they fit his hand. The stall vendor walked over to us "Hey kid. I knew you'd be back. Who's your friend?" Keith smiled at his "My boyfriend. We were just looking." The man smiled at me "Hi. Well, if you see anything that you'd like, tell me." We nodded, and he walked to the other side, where some girls were squealing over the necklaces. I looked over at Keith, who was staring at a pair of black rings with a rainbow stripe down the center, along with one that was silver with rainbow gems on one side of it. "Are you gonna buy them?" I asked, leaning on his shoulder. But he shook his head "I can only get one. I used a lot of my money on tickets. And there's still some other stuff that the parents will probably want to do, so I'll need it." I frowned. "That suck. Well, then which one are you gonna get?" he thought for a moment, then answered "The black one." He waved at the man, who came right over "So, you finally choose one?" Keith nodded "Yeah, I'd like this one." he handed the man the ring "Nice choice, That'll be $10." He frowned "But the sign says $20." the man just smiled "Yeah, but you seem like a good kid. Besides, I know that some of the stuff here is crazy overpriced." Then he looked at me "What about you? You want anything?" I shook my head. "Okay." Keith handed his the money, and he walked. Keith stared at the ring on his finger, and I could tell that he loved it. "Come on James. Hopefully our parents have stopped laughing by now. And they're probably worried. " I nodded "You go on without me. I'll catch up in a minute." he nodded, and started walking in the direction we had come from. I picked up one of the black rings and the silver one Keith was looking at."Excuse me? Sir?" the man looked over at me and smiled "Ah, so you're buying him something. Nice." I blushed a bit "yeah. how much for both of them?" He looked at his signs "$35 for both." I nodded and handed him the money. "You seem like a nice couple. I have a feeling that you'l be buying him another ring someday." I smiled "Yeah, maybe. But if I do, it'l be from you." he smiled at me "Well, that's nice to know. Here's my card." he handed me a small card reading:

💎 _Galaxy Jeweler_ 💎

 _For all your Jewelry needs_ 💍

_xxx-xxx-xxx_

I smiled at him "Thanks. Have a good day!" I walked away, pocketing the silver ring and putting on the black one. I'd give him the silver one later.


	38. Cornyval pt.4

Keith POV

James ran up besides me and grabbed my hand. "What were you doing?" I asked, curious. He didn't seem that interested in the jewelry. He shrugged And held up our intertwined hands "I wanted a ring to match yours." I looked at our hands and saw two similar black bands, with the rainbow stripe in the middle. I smiled "It looks nice on you." He smiled back "Thanks. Hey, do you have any idea why our dads keep making weird and suggestive jokes?" I felt myself blush "Well..I might have talked about you. A lot. What about you?" I asked, looking at him. He was a little pink "Well, I talked about you too. Like, a lot. Like, the entire drive from the Garrison to my house with my dad, and then again with my mom at home." I smiled "So, you must have talked about my eyes a LOT for them to mention it." James blushed "What can I say Kitten, you have nice eyes." I smiled towards the ground, and leaned against James's shoulder, perfectly content. When we eventually got back to our parents, they were sitting at one of the many picnic tables, talking. When Adam spotted us, he smiled and took a picture. When the others turned to see what he was taking a picture of, they smiled too. Chris smiled "So, what'd you guys do?" James picked up our hands "Looked around, got some rings." Erica literally cooed "Aww, that's so cute. It's like you guys are practically married." "Mom!" James groaned, dropping our hands, but still holding them.

"Could you not? It's kinda weird." I added, squeezing James's hand. We say at the table next to Shiro. I was next to James, who was next to Shiro. Erica was next to Chris who was met to Adam, who was in front of Shiro. "So, James, what are your intentions with my brother?" Shiro asked James in an serious voice. "My what?" James said, obviously confused. "Shiro!" I groaned. I didn't want him grilling my new boyfriend. "What? I want to know what you plan to do with my brother." James let go of my hand and put bith of his on the table. "Mr. Kogane, I intend on dating your brother as long as he likes, and if our relationship goes past high school and into the college years, probably marry him. I'd like to have a relationship with him similar to the one that you and Adam have, built on trust and affection." Shiro's mouth dropped open, and Adam smiled. James continued "I can honestly say that I love your brother and I never want to see him suffer." He looked at me, a blush and smile on his face "His smile brightens my world, and he has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen." I felt my face heat up, and I put my face in my hands "James!" "What? He asked, and I answered." I peeked through my fingers, and saw James. He was lying his arms on the table, and his head on his arms, staring up at me while smiling fondly. His face was pink, and from how hot my face felt, I knew that I was blushing too. The parents were all smiling proudly, and Shiro still looked shocked. "Wha-wha- really?" He asked, and James just nodded. "Good job son. I'm proud of you." Chris said, and you could hear the pride in his voice. "Keith, is there anything that you want to tell James?" Adam asked, with an evil grin on his face. I put my hands down and death stared him. "Yes. Yes I do. But not here." I stood up and grabbed James hand. Shiro stopped me "No, Keith. If James could tell you in front of all of us you can tell him in front of us." I felt my face heat up again "Shiro. No." He just smile "Yes." I death stared him "Fine. James, I really like you. I have since the day we met. You were nice to me when almost no one else was, and you stood up for me when Lance was being a jackass. You fought him off when he attacked me, and you always ask me if I'm okay. I always miss you the second you're not with me, and you mean a lot to me." The entire time I was talking, James just smiled at from his position on the table. Shiro looked smug, and Erica looked like she was about to cry. "That's so sweet. They're perfect for each other. I can't wait to be at their wedding." James sat up and whipped his head towards her "Mom! Enough with the wedding talk! We're teenagers! We literally just told the other that we like them today and you guys are already talking about us getting married! I get enough of that at home! It's annoying!" He stood up and stormed off. Erica and Chris just stared in silence. I turned towards them "What does he mean?" Erica looked down and Chris answered "He talks about you at home a lot. He did the same with the last person he liked, and we kept joking about them getting married. It didn't end well, so I guess whenever we talk about him possibly getting married he gets mad." I raised an eyebrow "What happened?" Chris shook his head "It's not my place to say, but it didn't go well." "Keith, you should go find him." Adam said, and I nodded. I stood and followed the path that James had taken. 

I walked around for a while, looking for him. I eventually found him behind one of the rides, sitting and staring at the ground. I walked over and sat next to him. "James? Are you okay?" he looked at me and smiled weakly 'Yeah. I'm just tired of it. Every time I mention you, my mom goes off about how we're gonna get married and live happily ever after." I smiled "Yeah, that sounds annoying. Um..your dad said that this happened with your last crush. Do you want to tell me what happened?" James shook his head "No. Maybe someday, but todays supposed to be fun. We're at Cornyval after all." he stood and stuck his hand out to me, which I took. "So, what should we do now?" he asked, and I shrugged. "We could play a few games." he nodded and we walked away, hand in hand.

We played darts, which I destroyed James at, but then he beat me at a shooting game. I had won a little snakes toy, and he had gotten a bouncy ball "These games are ripoffs. None of the prizes are worth much, but you need a million points to get anything good." I shrugged "That's how carnival games work." His eyes lit up "Hey, do you wanna go on the Ferris wheel? The lines pretty short." I looked up at the big wheel next to us "Yeah, sure. Why not?" we walked towards the line. When we got on, we sat on the same side, and James put his arm around me, and I leaned into him. The sun had started setting, are by the time we got to the top, it was a beautiful combination of colors. Purples, pinks and oranges all blended together. "It's beautiful." I whispered. "And so are you." James whispered back. We spent the rest of the ride in silence. When we got off, we walked towards where we had left our parents, and they were still there. "Ah, there you guys are. What did you guys do?" Adam asked. I shrugged "We played some games then went on the Ferris Wheel." "Well that sounds nice." James nodded as we sat down "Yeah, it was. The sun was setting as we got on." Erica gasped "That must've been beautiful. And James, I'm sorry for all the wedding talk. You guys just seem so perfect together." James nodded "I get it. But please don't talk about it anymore." she nodded, and we sat in silence for a while. Adam, trying to cut the tension "Well, it was great meeting you guys, you especially James, but we have to go." I pouted "Boo." and Adam smiled "Yeah, I know, but it's a two to three hour drive back home, and we still need to get groceries and dinner." Chris smiled "That's okay. We should probably be heading out anyway. Come on boys." Together we all walked out of the fair ground, each couple holding hands. I whispered to James "It's so weird. Normally it's mostly straight people, but right now it's gay, 2-1." and he laughed. "Oh my god. Keith you can't just say that." "Why not? It's not like they can hear me." he shook his head "Yeah, but if they do they'll get mad." I just smiled. Once we reached the exit, goodbyes were exchanged. I shook Erica and Chris's hands, and gave James a hug "I'll see you soon Kitten." he whispered in my ear. "I know Griff." We separated and walked to our respective rides. Once we got in the truck, Adam turned towards me from the passengers seat "So..James and you are...?" I smiled "Dating." he squealed "That's great! When are you going to tell the others?" I blanked. I hadn't thought about that, and school was just a month away. "I don't know. We might not. The others have been hardcore shipping us for a while now, and I think that if we told them they'd explode." Adam nodded "Sounds like what Matt and Crutis did to us. They both knew we liked each other, but had to promise not to tell the other. When we told them they did that jumping up and down thing with all the squealing." I laughed, imagining Matt doing that. I didn't know Crutis. I knew what he looked like, but I didn't know him. Shiro, who doesn't like silence, plugged his phone in and started looking for a song. Once he picked one, my eyes went wide. It was Boyfriend by fucking BIG TIME RUSH "SHIRO! NO! THIS SONG IS TERRIBLE!" 

_Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy_

Shiro started singing along, and Adam started recording him

_Have you ever had the feeling you're drawn to someone?  
(Yeah)  
And there isn't anything they could of said or done?  
And everyday I see you on your own  
And I can't believe that you're alone  
But I overheard your girls and this is what they said_

Shiro started screaming the lyrics

_Looking for a  
Looking for a  
That you're looking for a boyfriend  
I see that  
Gimme time, you know I'm gonna be there  
Don't be scared to come put your trust in me  
Can't you see all I really want to be  
Is your boyfriend  
Can't fight that  
Knock me down you know I'm coming right back  
I don't care at all what you done before  
All I really want is to be your_

Then, Adam joined him for the chorus "NO! Adam, you've betrayed me!" I screeched.

_Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend _

_Let me take a little moment to find the right words_ _(To find the right words)_

_So when I kick it to you it ain't something that you've heard_ _(Something that you've heard)_

_I don't know what kind of guy that you prefer  
But I know I gotta put myself forwards  
See I think got the kind of love that you deserve  
And I heard_ _That you're looking for a boyfriend_

_I see that  
Give me time, you know I'm gonna be that_   
_Don't be scared to come put your trust in me  
Can't you see all I really want to be  
Is your boyfriend  
Can't fight that  
Knock me down you know I'm coming right back  
I don't care at all what you done before  
All I really want is to be your_

"Come on Keith! Join us!" I smiled and shook my head

_Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend_

"Keith if you don't join us I'm going to call James's parents and tell them every thing you've ever told us about him! Then they'll tell him!" My eyes went wide. I knew that Shiro would do that, so I reluctantly joined in. 

_If you tell me where, I'm waiting here  
Everyday like slum-dog millionaire  
Bigger then the twilight love affair  
I'll be here  
Girl I swear_ _Looking for a  
Looking for a  
That your looking for a boyfriend  
I see that  
Give me time, you know I'm gonna be that  
Don't be scared to come put your trust in me  
Can't you see all I really want to be  
Is your boyfriend  
Can't fight that  
Knock me down you know I'm coming right back  
I don't care at all what you done before  
All I really want is to be your_

We all started screaming at the top of our lungs

_Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
(Your boyfriend)  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
(All I really want is to be your)  
(Your boyfriend)  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
(Yeah)  
(All I really want is to be your)  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend  
All I really want is to be your_

The song ended, and we all burst out laughing. Some people in the cars next to us were laughing, others were recording, while some looked at us like we were crazy. I smiled "We're going to be on YouTube tomorrow." Adam nodded "Yeah, but mostly Shiro. He was the loudest." "Shiro smiled proudly "Yeah, and I have the best voice." Adam shook his head "No, that would be Keith. At least, it is when he tries." he stared at me on the last part "Adam, you know I don't like singing in front of people, even if it's you guys." "I know Keith, but it could be fun." I shook my head. We've had this conversation before. They try and get me to sing but I say no. I waved him off "Nope. Not happening." His eye lit up "Keith, what's that on your finger?" Shit shit shit. I had forgotten about the rings. "Um, me and James got matching rings." He raised an eyebrow "Oh, really? Interesting." "Dad, it's not like that." he smiled "Mhmm, sure." we sat in silence for the rest of the ride, except for Shiro's music playing softly.


	39. Tricks

**It's been a week since Cornyval, and Adam is watching Shiro teach Keith tricks on the hover bike**

Shiro POV

"Yeah Keith! Just like that!" he came to a stop a few feet away from me, pulling his helmet off. He had a huge grin on his faec. Adam walked over to us with some water bottles. "Good job guys. That one was a lot better than you first one Keith." He grinned "Thanks." and took a big swing of water. We had been outside for about two hours, working on tricks. Keith already had the hang of driving the bike, now we were working on shown man ship. He had perfected the jumps and turns, now he was working on aerial tricks. He was going to be a big help this year in class. "I think I'm ready to try some flips." I stared at him "NO. You don't even have a ramp." Keith rolled his eyes "We have sand and dirt. It if works for the other stuff, it'll work for this." I shook my head "Flips would be hard with the bike, no matter what you jump off of. We're going to do something else. Here, let me show you." I took the bike from him and got my helmet on. "Come on. I can't do it here." Adam raised and eyebrow "Can all three of us fit on that?" I shrugged "Yeah, I just can't drive as fast as I can like SOMEONE." Keith just smiled. We all go on and drove to the edge of a ravine. "Alright hop off. I can't do this with you guys on it."They climbed off, and I went back about 50 yards before going full speed ahead. I zoomed through the desert and off the edge. I plummeted downward, and right before I hit the ground, I pulled up the bike and zoomed forward to safety. 

Once I got back to Keith and Adam, Keith ran over to me with a huge smile on his face "SHIRO! You HAVE to show me how to do that!" I smiled "Of course. Flips are boring. Almost plummeting to your death, now that's interesting." I said with a wink. Then I noticed Adam. He was just staring at where I had jumped off. "Adam? You good." he looked at me shocked. "Wh-how did you do that?" I shrugged "I've had practice. And I'm the greatest pilot of my generation, so it was easy." Adam smiled and rolled his eyes. God I loved that smile. "Well? Are you going to teach me how to do it or are you gonna keep staring at Adam?" Keith asked. I shook my head "No, I'll show you. Hop on." I scooted back, and Keith sat in front of me. "You ready?" I asked, and Keith nodded. "Okay. Go." He sped off, and then, we jumped off the edge. "Yeah!" Keith yelled "Ok ok now..pull up!" H ebrohght the bars back and we coasted along the floor of the ravine. "Good job Keith. You really are a natural." "Thanks Dad." I smiled. Yeah, it was gonna be weird, him calling me Dad, but we would get used to it. "Now take us back. Turn up." "I know the way. I've been spending a lot of time riding around here. I know this place like the back of my hand." We sped off, up some different turns, and got back to Adam, who was lying ik n the sand. "Hey babe." I said, jumping off the bike and walking towards him. "Hey." I laid next to him "You good?" He nodded "Yeah. It's just boring waiting for you guys. And my legs hurt. I'm always either sitting for hours or standing for hours." I smirked "I can make your ass hurt if you want." "Shiro! No! At least wait until tomorrow. Then Keith will be out of the house." I sighed "Fine." I heard the engine rev, and then Keith was flying over our heads. "AAH!" Adam screamed, and I covered my face. "KEITH!" I roared, angry at him. He just took his helmet off and smiled "What? You guys were being all mushy and I want to go home. I chugged my water and I have to pee." I sat up and gestured to the wide expanse of desert "The world is your bathroom." Adamaughed and Keith cringed "Ew, no. Besides, aren't you expecting a call from the Garrison soon? Something about a mission." Fuck. I had forgotten about that. "Keith's right Shiro. They said they'd call around 6 and its." he checked his watch "Almost Five thirty. We should get going if we want to be there in time." I sighed "Okay." We all got back on the bike and started back towards the house. The Garrison was going ot be calling about a new space mission, to Kerberos, a satellite of Pluto. I was one of the possible candidates for the job, along with Matt and Mr.Holt. If we were chosen, we would spend the next six months preparing for the launch. When we got home, I ran into the house, right as the phone rang. "Shiro here." "Congratulations Shiro. You're going on the Kerberos mission." I heard Iverson say. Holy shit. I got to go. "Who else is going?" "The Holt boys. They've already been told, and Mrs.Holt asks that you keep them out of trouble." I smiled "Of course sir." "That's all for now. Congratulations." He hung up, and I put the phone down. Adam and Keith were both waiting on the couch "Well? Did you make it?" Adam asked. I smiled brightly "Yes! I'm going to Kerberos with the Holts!" "Shiro that's awesome!" Leith said, and him and Adam enveloped me in a hug. "I can't believe it. My fiance, the space explorer."

"Don't worry, I'll come back."


	40. Back to School

It's near the end of August 

No one POV

It's the first day back at the Garrison. All the cadets are arriving and reuniting. They've been told that later there will be a special announcement in the cafeteria, regarding the upcoming school year. Kids are seen running up to friends and rejoicing, while others say goodbye to their families. But one group of friends were particularly excited to see each other. There was two girls, and five boys. They we're all talking excitedly, except for one. He had brown hair, tan skin, and ocean blue eyes. He was staring quietly at a light skinned boy with jet black hair, and violet eyes. He seemed to be looking him over, over and over again, like he was seeing him in a new, different, way.

Lance POV

Was it just me, or did Keith look different? His eyes looked..pretty. His hair looked silky and soft, and his pale skin was smooth. What the hell is wrong with me? I was calling Keith PRETTY. No, I was calling his EYES pretty. Not him, his eyes. Plenty of people liked purple, no, violet eyes. Yeah, it was just that.

James POV 

Me and Keith had decided to wait to tell the others about us. We didn't want them to go crazy. As Keith told the others about his new hover bike, I noticed Lance being unusually quiet. I walked over to him "Hey man, you good?" He glanced at me "Hey James. Yeah I'm good. Just tired is all. I didn't get much sleep last night. I was too excited." I smiled "I know the feeling. Hey, I know that we don't usually get along, but do you wanna come hang out with us later? In Pidge and Veronica's room?" He looked shocked that I had asked, but them he smiled "Sure. That'd be great." I started to walk back to the others, but Lance grabbed my arm "Hey, I'm sorry for being an ass our first year." I shrugged "It's okay. I wasn't exactly the nicest to you either. How about we call a truce?" He smiled "Great. See you later." I walked back to the others, and Veronica looked at me funny. "So, what were you and my brother talking about?" I shrugged nonchalantly "I invited him to hang out with us later. We've decided to try and get along, since we're probably going to be in the same classes." They looked at me in shock. "You and Lance? Getting along? Are you serious?" Pidge said in disbelief. "Yeah. Why not? I don't need to get in any more fights." "Huh. I did not see that coming." "Anyway.." Kinkade started "Did you guys do anything interesting?" "What do you mean Kinkade? You went to photography camp all summer." Veronica said. Kinkade shrugged "Yeah, but I know what I did. I don't know what anyone else did. Our video calls kinda got canceled most of the time." He was right. After the first two or three weeks, we pretty much stopped talking to each other. "True. Hey Hunk, how was the wedding?" Veronica asked. Hunk smiled "It was great! And beautiful. They had a bunch of flowers, and since it was at night, they had torches. I actually have a picture of it. (Cue pic from top here)." Everyone oohed and awed over it. "That's pretty cool Hunk." Keith said. Hunk smiled "It was. And I got to spend the rest of the month in Hawaii with my cousins. We went surfing and snorkeling." I smiled "Well that makes our summers look boring in comparison." Hunk just shrugged. "Speaking of which, what did you do this summer?" Kinkade asked. "Nothing much. Me and my parents met Keith, Adam and Shiro at Cornyval and hung out for a few hours. I went to the pool, stayed home wasting time, the usual." Pidge raised an eyebrow "Really? You and Keith went to Cornyval together? What happened?" Keith cut in "We went on some rides, ate food, and I whooped his ass at a darts game." "Yeah, but I beat you at the shooting game, so we're even."

Pidge, Kinkade and Veronica just stared at us. "Really? What'd you guys talk about?" Pidge asked, obviously expecting us to say that we poured our hearts out and were now dating. I just shrugged "What we did, stupid stuff our parents did, the new classes we're gonna take." Veronica stared at me "That's it? Nothing interesting happened?" Keith shook his head "Nope." Kinkade was silent "Really? That sounds boring." "Hey, it was fun. We also got to see a video of Shiro singing along to Taylor Swift." They all perked up "Really? Holy shit you have to show me that!"Pidge exclaimed. Keith pulled out his phone "Look." As we watched the video, we all started laughing. "And on the way back, he played Boyfriend by Big Time Rush, and sang along the whole time. We all eventually got into it, and were screaming it at the top of our lungs. Some people I'm the cars next to us started recording it." Keith said as he put his phone away. "Holy shit I can't believe it. Shiro sings?" Lance asked. Keith nodded "He does a lot. Especially when he's in the car." "He sounds like the coolest brother ever." Lance said, smiling at Keith. He smiled back and nodded "He is. You'd love him." Wait, what? Keith and Lance, being nice to each other? What's happening? "Hey, you know we should probably put our stuff in our rooms." Hunk said, and we all agreed. We went our separate ways, bags in tow. Once I made sure that none of the others were in our hall, I grabbed Keith's hand. "So, how long do you think it'll be until they find out that we're dating?" Keith shrugged "I don't know. But if we went two years without telling each other, we can probably go a few months without telling them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1000 words exactly. I was so proud if that😂


	41. Announcements

Lance POV

When we got to the cafeteria, me, Hunk, Pidge, Ronny, Kinkade, James and Keith all sat together. I don't know why, but I couldn't stop glancing at Keith. He looked different. He looked kinda..pretty. Or at least his eyes and smile did. His beautiful, violet eyes. Whoa, wait a minute. Keith I'd a boy. Boys can't be beautiful. Only girls can? What's wrong with me? I must be really tired. "Lance? You good buddy?" I looked up and saw Hunk looking at me worriedly. I smiled "Yeah, I just didn't get enough sleep last night." He nodded, and went back to his conversation with Pidge. Then the lights flickered, signaling the start of the assembly. Iverson stepped up to the podium "Greetings cadets, and welcome back to the Garrison. As you all know, this year you will be exploring the future jobs you wish to have within the Garrison. Some if you will be pilots, other command, others engineers. At the end of the year, the top people in the class will advance to become fighter pilots and other higher up positions. A limited number will make it, so try your hardest. Now, as you know, the Kerberos mission will be launching next year. It is my pleasure to introduce you to the crew. Which will be Mr.Holt, Matt Holt, and Takashi Shirogane Kogane." All three of them stepped forward, and we all applauded. Keith and Pidge were especially happy, since it was their family being chosen. "Congratulations to you three. Also, Shiro and Mr.Adam have decided that, in a few years time, they will be getting married. Give it up for the newly engaged couple." Iverson looked proud on that last part, and many of the students, including me and the others, gave them a standing ovation. "YEAH SHIRO! GET SOME!" Keith yelled, and everyone started laughing. "USE PROTECTION!" Pidge yelled after him, which caused even more laughter. Adam turned pink, and Shiro just smiled. "Please refrain from saying such things." Iverson said, with a grin on his face.

After the assembly was over, we all went to Pidge and Veronica's room. It was surprisingly neat, compared to Ronny's room at home. "Keith, help me set up the game." Pidge ordered,walking over to her desk, Keith in tow. "Wait, what game?" I asked, not talking to anyone in particular. "Her and Keith figured out how to set up Mario Kart." Kinkade answered. "Yeah, we played all the time the last few years." James added "Is that why you came in late a lot?" I asked Hunk, who nodded "Yeah, he watched Kinkade and Pidge's epic showdowns. They can easily beat us all." James said, a smile on his face. "Its not my fault that you all suck at Mario Kart." Kinkade said with a shrug. Keith gasped "My feelings! They've been hurt!" And he feel dramatically, landing in James's lap. "Oof. Keith get off me." Keith just smiled and stayed put. He had a nice smile. Lots of people have nice smiles. I don't see Keith smile often. "Haha! Victory!" Pidge exclaimed, holding up a controller "Who's ready to get their ass kicked at Mario Kart?" I smirked "Five bucks I can best you Pidge." She grinned "You're on." We grabbed the controllers and got ready. The first and second laps we were neck and neck, then she blue shelled me. "Aw, Pidge no fair." "Eat it Lance." I frowned and tried to speed up. I got a mystery box, and was delighted to receive some red shells. I smirked and threw them all. Pidge spun out just before she reached the finish line, and I passed her. "What? No! FUCK!" She screamed, while I smiled. "Eat THAT Pidge. You owe me five bucks." She frowned and handed me the money. "Nice job Lance." Someone said over my shoulder, and I turned to find Keoth leaning on me. I smiled "Thanks Mullet." He rolled his eyes with a smile "No problem Loverboy." 

We had a Mario Kart tournament, with Kinkade winning by a mile. Then Pidge and Ronny pulled out some chips,and Hunk pulled out some cookies. "Ooh, gimmie!" Keith said the second Hunk pulled them out. "Haha, no. You'll eat them all." Hunk said with a smile. "Yeah, and I have to share a bathroom with you." James said, and Keith pouted. "Bully." James smirked "Yeah but you love me anyway." Pidge and Veronica's eyes lit up "Well yeah, you're my best friend in the world." Kinkade looked offended, and Pidge and Ronny frowned "Keith! I thought I was your best friend!" Keith shrugged "Sorry." Then I remembered something "Hey, I have some sodas in my room. Does anyone want some?" they all nodded. I stood and stretched "Alright, well I'm gonna need someone to help me get them all.? Keith stood up "I'll help you." I nodded "Alright, let's go." Was it just me, or did James look sad that he was leaving? I led Keith to me and Hunk's room and pulled out some of the sodas. "Here." I said, handing him a six pack of Cokes. "Thanks. Hey Lance, why are you being nice to me and James all of a sudden? I thought you didn't like us." I shrugged, picking up my own six packs. "That's in the past. And we'll probably have a lot of the same classes, so I figured that we should be able to get along. And I was an asshole and needed to apologize. I'm sorry, by the way, for what I said when we first met." He smiled at me "No problem. I'm sorry too, I wasn't the nicest either." I smiled back "I think we're even."


	42. Truth or Dare

Lance POV 

We walked the rest of the way in silence, but it wasn't awkward. It was kinda peaceful. Maybe me and Keith could be friends. When we got back to the room, Pidge and Kinkade had smug looks on their faces, and James was pink in the face. "What'd we miss?" I asked, curious on why they were smirking and blushing. "Nothing." I shrugged, and started handing out the sodas. Once I was done, I dropped the rest on Pidge's bed, and plopped down next to them. To my surprise, Keith sat next to me. "So, anyone want to play truth or dare?" Pidge asked, with a malicious look in her eyes. I shrugged "Sure. Why not?" Keith nodded "Yeah. Why not? We have time." Kinkade, Hunk and James all voiced their agreement. "Great. V, you start." Ronny smiled "Alright. James, truth or dare?" James smiled "Truth." "What is your sexual orientation?" He glared art her, brown eyes hardening "I'm gay." I was surprised. I never would've guessed. "My turn. Pidge, truth or dare?" James said. Pidge smiled "Dare." "I dare you to eat an entire jar of peanut butter." Pidge raised an eyebrow "Just straight up peanut butter?" And James nodded. She shrugged "Not like I haven't done it before.", then went over to her bunk and pulled a jar out from underneath,, and a spoon from her desk. Veronica just stared at her "I didn't even know that was there." And pudge just shrugged "There's a lot you don't know. My turn. Uhhh Keith. Truth or dare?" I looked at Keith, who looked deep in thought. "Dare."he finally answered. Pidge smiled "What's your sexual orientation?" Keith smiled "Well, you see, I'm gay as fuck." I was surprised. First James, now Keith. "Okay, who's not gay here?"I said. Keith just smiled and nudged me with his shoulder "Its not your turn Lance." I frowned "Boo." Was it just me, or was James glaring at me? Like he was going to kill me. "Well, now it's my turn. Uhhhhh.." he looked around the room, analyzing us. Finally, his eyes landed on me "Lance..." he said, smiling sweetly "Truth or dare?" I stared at him for a second, before deciding. "Dare." He smiled "I dare you to sit in James's lap for the next 5 minutes." "WHAT?!?!" Me and James said in unison. Keith just smiled "You guys said that you were going to put aside your differences and try and get along. Nothing like being in close contact to get along with someone." I glared at him "Is it too late to change my mind?" Keith just smiled sweetly "Nope." He said, popping the P. I sighed "Fine. If it'll make you happy Mullet." I walked over to James and plopped down in his lap. "This is for Keith." James whispered in my ear, and I nodded. Pidge took picture, them started a timer on her phone. "Lance, your turn." I smiled "Okay. Keith, truth or dare?" He smiled "Dare." I smirked "Since you made me sit in someone else's lap, I'm going to make you do the same. Come sit in my lap for the rest of my time." He glared at me, and the others laughed. "Fine." He plopped down in my lap, and I wrapped my arms around him. He fit perfectly, and he was warm." Kinkade smiled "It's a lap line of gays." I scoffed "I'm only 50% gay, thank you very much." Hunk looked at me. "You're bi? Jot that I have a problem with that, you just never told me." I shrugged "Yeah. It just never seemed relevant, since I never liked any of the boys here." I had know that I was bi for a while, but I always thought only girls could be pretty or beautiful, and boys handsome. "Well, I was right. A lap line of gays." Kinkade said with smirk. I rolled my eyes, and Keith started talking "Well, it's my turn now. Kinkade, truth or dare?" "Dare." He answered immediately. "I dare you to let Pidge mess with your phone for 10 minutes." Kinakdes eyes went wide, and Pidge laughed evily. "Haha! Good one Keith! Hand it over Kinkade." Kinkade frowned, but handed her the phone. "Now it's my turn. Veronica, truth or dare?" I looked at Ronnyz who had a smile on her face "Truth." "Would you kill your best friend for 1 dollar?" She shook her head "Nah. Pidge is worth at least 2." Pidge smiled "Thank you." Ronny smirked "Now it's my turn. James, truth or dare?" He opened his mouth when "BEEP BEEP BEEP". Pidge held up her phone "Okay gays, your time is up." I

jumped up, making Keith fall out of my lap "Hey!" I smiled at him "Sorry Mullet, but it had to be done." I jumped back onto Pidge's bed. He frowned.at me and leaned back onto James's legs. "Truth." James answered. Ronny smiled "Who in this room would you date and why?" His face turned bright red, and he death stared my sister. "Then I choose dare." Ronny pouted "You're no fun. But fine. Uhh, crap. I hadn't thought of one." I dat up "Ohh! I know. I dare you to tell us honing this room you would date and why." The others smiled, and James stared at me. "I'm not doing that. I'm done." He stood up and walked out of the room, all of us staring at him. "Well...that could've gone better." Hunk said. "What do you guys want to do now?" I shrugged "We could do never have I never with our Cokes?" Keith said with a shrug. I nodded in agreement, along with Kinkade and Veronica. "Alright, that's settled. I'll go first."

We started playing, but only asked a few questions. Now that Truth or Dare was over, everyone was kinda tense. Someone had already left pissed,and no one wanted that to happen again. "Well, I guess that killed the mood. I'm gonna head back to our room. See ya." I nodded bye Hunk." He left, and it was silent. "So, what's up with James? He seemed pretty mad." I wonder why. We were just joking around. Pidge, Kinkade and Ronny exchanged a look, then nodded, seeming to come to an agreement. "He's had...problems in the past when he's told people that he liked someone. Not everyone is okay with LGBTQ people as we are. He got bullied for it at his old school a bit." My eyes went wide "Oh. I had no idea." "Neither did I. " Keith said which startled me. I had forgotten that he was here. Kinkade shrugged "it's not the kind of thing that someone would like to talk about." On that cheery note, he stood and stretched "Well, goodnight." And walked out. "Yeah, I should probably get going too." Keith said, then he left. Pidge and Ronny looked at me "Yea I get it I'm leaving." I stood and hugged Ronny "Night hermana." She hugged me back "Night hermano." "Night Pidge." She grunted in acknowledgement, still tapping on her phone. Wait a minute..that wasn't hers. "Is that Kinkades?" I asked and she smiled "Yeah. He left it, so its fair game." I crossed my arms "You're not gonna so to him what you did to me. are you?" That's right. After my fight the first year, she confessed to hacking my phone. But she did delete everything else. She shook her head "No, that was for revenge. This is just for fun. You'll see." I shrugged and walked out. It was quiet, since just about everyone was asleep. I passed room after room, all silent. But when I passed one, I heard yelling. "WHATS YOUR PROBLEM? IT WAS A JOKE!" "I DON'T CARE! THEY KNEW THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, ESPECIALLY WITH LANCE OF ALL PEOPLE THERE!HES A JACKASS AND A BITCH!" I walked over to the door and looked at the room number. B13, Keith and James's room."SO? THATS JUST WHAT YOU THINK OF HIM! YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE GONNA TRY AND BE NICE TO HIM! LANCE IS A GOOD PERSON!" "REALLY? DO YOU NOT REMEMBER WHAT HE SAID AND DID TO YOU THE FIRST WEEK?" "OF COURSE I REMEMBER YOU DIP SHIT! BUT HE'S OBVIOUSLY CHANGED! AND HE'S PIDGE AND HUNKS BEST FRIEND AND VERONICA'S BROTHER! GIVE HIM A CHANCE! STOP BEING AN ASSHOLE!" Whoa, Keith was defending me? That was new. James sounded hurt "Keith I-" "I don't wanna hear it." I heard a door slam, and a bed creak. I guess Keith stormed off into the bathroom. I stepped away from the door and resumed the walk to my room. Keith. Defending me. Against James. His best friend. I smiled to myself. We could be good friends.


	43. HE'S A GOOD PERSON

Keith POV 

When I got back to our room, James was lying in bed, death staring the wall. I sighed and walked over to him "What's wrong Griff?" He rolled over to look at me "Veronica and Lance." I sAT next to him "What do you mean?" He put his head on my lap "She knows that I like you. Everyone in the room but Lance knows. Then she asked me right in front of him. She knows I don't want him to know." I shrugged "So? It's not like he would care." "But still. I don't like him." I rolled my eyes "Come on. You barely ever talk to him. Did you even have a class with him last year?" "Well, no. But he was an ass the first week." "Wow, you really know how to hold a grudge." He shrugged. "Hey, Veronica mentioned that you were bullied for being gay at your old school. Do you wanna tel me about it?" He sat up "She WHAT?" "She said you were bullied at your old school for being gay." He stood up "I can't believe she did that! She PROMISED that she wouldn't mention it. EVER. I'm going to kill her." I laughed "Calm down James. It's not a big deal." "No, she promised that she wouldn't talk about it. So first, they make me admit to being gay in front of Lance, then you too, then you make me have him sit in my lap. Then you sat in his lap. Then she wanted me to admit to liking you in front of Lance." "James, calm down. It was just a game, it didn't mean anything. And you said that you were going to try and be nice to him." "But you guys put me in an uncomfortable position, which you knew I was trying to avoid!" I had enough. I stood up "WHATS YOUR PROBLEM? It WAS A JOKE!" "I DON'T CARE! THEY KNEW THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, ESPECIALLY WITH LANCE OF ALL PEOPLE THERE!HES A JACKASS AND A BITCH!" "SO? THATS JUST WHAT YOU THINK OF HIM! YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE GOING TO TRY AND BE NICE TO HIM! LANCE IS A GOOD PERSON!" He raised his eyebrow "REALLY? SO YOU NOT REMEMBER WHAT HE SAID AND DID THE FIRST WEEK?" This bitch. Of course I remember, I was there "OF COURSE I REMEMBER YOU DIP SHIT! BUT HE'S OBVIOUSLY CHANGED! AND HE'S PIDGE AND HUNKS BEST FRIEND, AND VERONICA'S BROTHER! GIVE HIM A CHANCE AND STOP BEING AN ASSHOLE!" I can't believe him. "Keith I-" I help up a hand "I don't wanna hear it." I walked into the bathroom and slammed the door. I understood were he was coming from,but he was overreacting. Lance had obviously changed. He wasn't as noticeably over confident and snarky. He even apologized. HE APOLOGIZED. TO BOTH OF US. James was just being an asshole. I can't believe it. We've been dating for around a month and we're already fighting. It doesn't matter, its not that important. I don't understand why he can't just forgive and forget? If I can, he can.

James POV 

I can't believe it. It been a little over a month and we're already yelling at each other. But why does he trust Lance? And he looked and sounded really mad. Maybe I should give Lance a chance. I mean he was pretty nice to Keith during the game, and completely okay with us being gay. Then again he's 50% gay too. Maybe I should apologize to Keith. I looked over to the bathroom, where Keith was. I walked over and knocked on the door "Keith?" "What?" Fuck he sounded mad "Can you come out?" "Why?" "Because I want to talk to you." "Why?" Not this again "Keithhhhhh. Please?" I was leaning against the door, straining to hear if he said anything. All of a sudden, the door was yanked open, and I fell on the ground. I looked up to see Keith with a smirk on his face. You wanna talk? Let's talk." He walked out and sat on my bed. I got up and sat next to him. He crossed his arms and looked at me "Well?" I sighed "I'm sorry for being an asshole." "And...." "For getting mad and yelling at you." He nodded "Good. Goodnight." He stood up and climbed into his bunk "Wait, what?" I was confused. I thought that I'd at least get a hug or something. "What? We talked. I'm tired, and I want to go to bed. Goodnight." He rolled over and immediately started snoring loudly. "Come on Kitten, I know you're awake." No response. "Keith." I whined, to no avail. The snoring had stopped. I peeked over the edge of the bed and was greeted with Keith's sleeping face. "Huh, I guess he really was tired.c I whispered to myself. I climbed in my bed, and after some tossing and turning, I fell into a deep sleep.


	44. Breakfast

James POV

I woke up surprisingly early, considering how late I fell asleep last night. I stood and stretched, looking around the room. Keith was still asleep, and I didn't want to wake him. I got dressed and walked out of the room, and began wandering the halls. I eventually ended up outside, on the roof of the Garrison. I had discovered this place my second year at the Garrison, when I was wandering the halls. I found a ladder in a janitors closet that led to the roof. It always had a beautiful view. Almost as beautiful as Keith. I came here a lot to think. Before it was about Keith, and how I would tell him that I liked him. Now, I had to figure out how to hide it. Pidge and the others couldn't know. They would tease us relentlessly, and take lots of pictures. I also had to figure out how I was going to take Keith on a date, and when I would give him the ring from Cornyval. It laid on my chest, over my heart, on a silver chain. I was going to give it to him at Cornyval, but at the last minute, decided not to. I wanted it to be special, something significant in our relationship. Maybe I could give it to him on his birthday. Or on Christmas. I sat on the edge of the roof and began fidgeting with the ring on my hand. I had rarely taken it off, and if it wasn't on my hand, it was on my chain with the other one. Iverson had sent home a packet with lots of information regarding this school year. We had to be more responsible, more was expected from us, all that stuff, but we also got to have days where we could leave the school on field trips of sorts. We just needed a chaperone. We could even go to the beach if we had one. Maybe I could give it to Keith then! No, cause then the others would be there. I guess I'd just have to see how it all played out. I stared at the rising sun, contemplating how to give Keith the ring.

Keith POV 

I woke up to any empty room. James wasn't there, and his bed wasn't made. Normally he was obsessed with being neat, and was almost always cleaning up the room. I rubbed my eyes, jumping out of bed. He was probably eating breakfast. ?He was always up really early. I don't know how, but he was. I pulled out my phone and texted him

Kitten- Where u at

Griff-Cafeteria

Kitten-Why u get up so early

Griff- Because I can

Kitten-why

Griff-Because

Kitten- cause why

Griff-just cause

I will never understand why people get up early. We don't even have class until 8. 

Kitten-can u get me coffee

Yes, the Garrison gave us coffee. They realized that most of us didn't sleep much or stayed up really late. It wasn't anything fancy like Starbucks, but it was something. 

Griff-black right

Kitten-plz

Griff-idk how u can drink that

tastes like shit

Kitten-i like it

it wakes me up

That's right plain black coffee for this boy. No fancy stuff, No carmel, sugar or any of that. I drink it to wake up, not for it to taste good.

Griff-just come get it

everyone else is already here

Kitten-is Lance there

Griff-...

yeah

Shit. They were alone together. I had to get down there fats

Kitten-on my way

be nice

Griff-no promises

This bitch. I don't know why he does this. Reaches out and says he'll be nice, then bad mouths him the second he's away. I put my uniform on and headed to the cafeteria. Once I got there, I saw all my friends sitting together in the back. I walked ver and plopped down next to Veronica. "What's up?" "Oh, hey Keith. Nothing much." she answered. Pidge smiled "We're seeing how long it'll be before James and Lance kill each other." I groaned "What happened this time?" Veronica shrugged "Beats me." Kinkade leaned over "When James sat down, Lance asked "So, I'm jackass and a bitch?" and James just stared at him. did something happen last night?" I groaned and hit my head on the table. "He got all mad cause of the game. I told him about how you guys said was bullied after I asked him about it and he got mad. Then he started ranting. "They know who I like. They made us out ourselves in front of Lance." etcetera. Then I got mad at him for overreacting and blaming Lance for everything and he started yelling. I tried telling him it was just a joke, but he was all "I don't care, he's a jackass and a bitch!" and I guess Lance heard. He wasn't exactly quiet." Kinkade and Veronica looked shocked "James yelled at YOU?" Pidge asked, and I nodded "Yeah. I tried telling him that Lance is different and to give him a chance, but that just made him madder. "Hold up. First, James yells at you, then you defend Lance? What's happening?" Kinkade asked. "What? Lance is Veronicas brother and one of Pidge and Hunk's best friends. And he doesn't seem as obnoxious as he did the first year." I said. Veronica smiled at me "Thanks Keith. And James did say that he was going to be nice to Lance." I nodded "Yeah. but I don't get what their problem is. Lance seems fine with him, but James looks like he wants to kill him." Pidge smiled "Maybe they're fighting over you." I felt my face heat up "WhAt?" Kinkade and Pidge smiled "Think about it. Lance is mean to you, James goes berserk. You sit in Lance's lap, he starts yelling." Kinkade said with a smirk "Which can mean only one thing." Pidge said with a smile "They both like you." "No, that can mean many things." I protested. Yeah, I know that James likes me, he told Shiro he loves me. but Lance? I barely know him. He couldn't like me. In that way at least. "Yeah Pidge, I mean, come on. Keith and Lance? They barely talk, it ever." Veronica said, but Pidge kept smiling. Exactly. But they're already defending and talking about each other. And Lance wanted him to sit in his lap." Kinkade nodded "Yeah. They'd be...KLANCE." Pidge shrieked "Yes! That's you guys ship name!" "Pidge, NO!" I shrieked, which got me a few weird looks. "Pidge, that would never happen. It's Lance. My BROTHER." Veronica said, wrinkling her nose "And the only boys he's ever crushed on are stars. Never someone he knows. Certainly not Keith." Pidge shrugged "Anything can happen." I rolled my eyes. "Pidge, no. 

Me and Lance? Not possible."


	45. Classes

**Vote &/or comment if you enjoy**

Lance POV

The bell rang, and we all left the cafeteria. I can't believe it. I ask James one question, and he death stares me for the rest of breakfast. And poor Hunk had to sit there watching us, and, like the cinnamon roll he is, try and start a conversation. I shook my head and pulled out my schedule. Me and James will never be friends. I scanned my paper, looking for my first class. "Flight simulation" huh, that sounded interesting. On my way to the class, I spotted Keith. "Keith!" I yelled, running over to him. He turned, saw me, and smiled "Hey Lance." I stopped next to him "Hey man. I-uh, just wanted to say thanks. For standing up for me last night." His smile fell "You heard that?" I nodded "Yeah, but it's no big deal." "Cool. I uh, meant what I said. About, you know, you being a good person." I smiled and ruffled his hair "Thanks Mullet." he smiled "No problem Loverboy. Where you headed?" "Flight simulation." "Ooh, I have that too! I've been in them before, you'll love it. It's really fun!" I raised an eyebrow "The emo Mullet is excited? Must be really cool." He frowned at me "I'm not emo. But they are cool. I got to help test them out this summer." Crap. Ronny was right, he did get to practice with them. We walked into the classroom, and I smiled brightly. Hunk and Kinkade were also there along with..James. Ugh. I nudged Keith "Hey look, the others are here." He looked around the room before his eyes landed on them. He smiled and grabbed my arm "Come on, lets go." He pulled me along with him to the others. I snuck up behind Hunk and yelled "BOO!" in his ear. He jumped up and turned, glaring at me "Lance! stop doing that!" Keith and Kinkade smiled, while James frowned. "Lance, he doesn't like that so stop." I rolled my eyes "Come on, what's a joke between friends?" Kinkade smiled "Yeah, and it's not like you haven't tried doing it to me and Veronica." James frowned at him and walked away. Keith stared at him "What's his problem? He looked fine a couple seconds ago." he asked, and Hunk and Kinkade shrugged "I don't know. He's been pretty moody all day." Hunk said with a shrug. "Maybe there's something we don't know." I said. "Maybe he's gay." Keith whispered, and Kinkade nodded solemnly "Maybe." We all burst out laughing, which earned us a few odd looks. A girl with light brown skin and dark black hair, that looked purple walked over to us, with a girl with light skin, freckles, and a short blond bob. "Hey guys! I'm Rizavi and this is Ina. Whatcha guys laughing about?" the purple haired one asked. Hunk shook his head "Inside joke. You wouldn't get it." She shrugged, then looked at Kinkade "Wait.. I know you. You were in my math class!" Kinkade smiled at her "Hi Riz. Long time no see." She smiled at him. Keith piped in "Uh, yeah, who are you? Sorry I zoned out." She shrugged "Happens to the best of us. I'm Rizavi and this is Ina. Aren't you Shiro's little brother?" Keith sighed "Yeah. My names Keith." "Nice to meet you Keith. Shiro talks about you a lot." "He does?" she smiled "Oh yeah. He also has a bunch of pictures of you and Mr.Adam on his desk. I have him for Robotics." Keith cringed "What kind of pictures?" "Lot's of ones of when you guys are presumably younger, probably when you're 8 and he's 16, 17. One has a 35-36 year old man in it." Ina answered. I just stared at her, along with Hunk. Kinkade and Rizavi laughed "Yeah. Ina's a math wiz. She helps Crutis tutor and make the class work." Ina just stared, no emotion on her face. It was kinda creepy. "Alright cadets, time for class." Someone yelled out, and Keith smiled. I turned to see Shiro standing in the doorway, with a serous expression on his face. "Line up." We all scrambled to form a line, and once we had, Shiro walked from one end to the other talking. "You're all here because you want to be pilots for the Garrison. Some of you will be cargo pilots, other fighter. Here you will see wether or not you make the cut. Only 30 of you will continue training for fighter pilots. The rest will either be cargo pilots, or be reassigned." he gestured to the gray pods stationed around the room "These are the simulators. They're basic, but as the year goes on, we will receive newer, harder simulators. Your flying skills will not be the only thing judging wether or not you continue with your training. Grades and behavior will also play a major role. So I strongly suggest that you don't get into any fights." It seemed like he was staring at me and James on that last part. "SO." he said with a smile "Who's ready to start training?"

-Time skip- its dinner time

After I grabbed my tray, I went over to the table where the others were sitting. I set my tray next to Pidge, and sat down. "Hey Lance. How was your classes?" I smiled   
"They were great. For my first one I have "Flight Simulation", and you and Ronny are the only ones in our group that aren't in the class." Pidge shrugged "I'm better with computers. Give me a broken engine and I'll fix it in minutes. Give me a ship and it'll crash in seconds." Hunk nodded "Yeah. And I'm only in the class because the engineer is supposed to be able to fly in case of an emergency." Kinkade smiled at him "Oh come on Hunk. Flyings not that hard. You did good." "Thanks, but I'd prefer to be in the back. I get motion sickness sometimes." Keith sat down next to me "That sucks man. But how are you going to be an engineer on the ship if you get sick on the ship?" Hunk stopped eating. "Wow. I-uh, hadn't thought of that." Keith shrugged "Maybe you should talk to Iverson. If you don't like the class I'm sure you can get it changed." "What? No! Almost our entire group is in that class! Come on Hunk, don't leave." Hunk smiled reassuringly "I'm not leaving." I sighed in relief. Two more trays appeared on the table, and Ronny and James sat down. "Hey V, tell them what we did in robotics. " Ronny smiled and nodded "So, we had to start a semester projects, which were to build a robot that can perform basic tasks aboard a ship. So today we got the head done. And it has lights and sounds, and Pidge programmed it to play Thriller and do disco lights." Everyone laughed, except for James, who just stabbed his food. "My dad didn't even react. He just waited for it to stop and told us not to do that again." I forgot that Pidge's dad taught robotics. The teachers for each subject seemed to change every year, so I was always getting them mixed up. "Did you see Keith in the simulator? It was amazing." Kinakade said, breaking the silence. Keith shook his head "It wasn't that good. Those machines are easy. The one for later in the year are harder." James glanced up from his food "You got to test them?" Keith nodded, along with Pidge. "Yeah. The Holts made them, and me and Shiro tested them." Pidge laughed "They did races, and you should've seen the look on Shiro's face when he lost. It was priceless." Pidge and Keith laughed "Yeah, and then I beat him in the rest of the races, and beat his score in the simulator. He was PISSED." The rest of dinner passed, and all of us were in good spirits. Keith and Kinkade even got James to smile a few times. As I we left to go to our respective rooms, I wondered what was up with him. First he's nice and happy, then he's rude and moody. I would never understand him.


	46. Level Up

It's been a few weeks since the beginning of school, and it's the middle of October.

Keith POV

The second my alarm clock went off, I shot straight up. It was October 15th! Only eight days until my birthday! 16 days until Halloween! I can't wait. I rushed to get dressed and ran to the cafeteria, where my friends were. I got my food, and the second they saw me they all stopped talking and went quiet. I as I sat down next to James and Hunk I asked "What? Why'd you guys get quiet all of a sudden?" Lance, Pidge and Veronica just smiled at me "No reason." I looked around the table, and all of them were silent. I looked at Hunk, knowing that if anything was going to happen, he'd be the most likely to tell me. "Hunk? What's going on?" "Hey, don't try and grill Hunk. If you really must know, we're trying to figure out something for your birthday Mullet. It's in a few days right?" Lance said, and I was surprised "You Know when my birthday is? And you care?" Lance smiled "Of course. We're all friends here. So, what'd you wanna do?" I smiled brightly "Really? That's what you guys were doing?" Pidge nodded, along with the others "We were going to do a surprise party, then Kinkade reminded us that you don't like surprises." Veronica said. I laughed "He's right. One time, Shiro and Adam threw me one, and I ended up punching Shiro in the face." Everyone laughed at that. "Well, what's your favorite thing to do? Or place to be? Maybe we could try and take a field trip. I'm sure we could get Shrio and Adam to chaperone us." James piped in, looking at me. I smiled "Yeah. " then I got an amazing idea "Ooh! We could go to Six Flags! Or the beach!" Veronica shook her head "It has to be something nearby." I sagged my shoulders "Boo." "aww, come on. I'm sure there's something that we could do." Lance said. The others stayed silent, thinking. "What if we get Shiro and Adam to take a few of us to a nearby store, and we have a mini party in you guys's room?" Kinkade said, looking at me and James. Hunk smiled "Yeah! And then I could make a cake or something! Keith, what's your favorite kind of cake?" I thought for a moment "Vanilla, with buttercream frosting. Can you make it red?" "What part?" I smiled "All of it." Lance looked at me "Why all red? Is that like, your favorite color?" I nodded "Yeah, and my favorite animal is a hippo." Pidge smiled "Well now we know what kind of decorations we need." The rest of breakfast was spent talking about all of our favorite colors and animals. But throughout all of it, James was silent. He said nothing, and just stared at the table.

When we left, I pulled him aside "Hey, are you okay?" I asked, concerned. He'd been pretty moody this year. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, is all." He freed himself from my grasp and continued down the hall. Something was up with him. I just had to figure out what.

When we got to class, there were new pods. I smiled. Finally, a challenge. They were the second of three different pods. I know, it seems weird to have three different kinds of pods instead of updating them, but each one had different controls for the different kinds of ship or vehicles we'd be flying. "Good morning cadets. As I'm sure you've noticed, we have new simulator pods today. These have different controls, and this time, you'll be controlling drones that are flying in real life." A ripple of excitement spread over the class "Can you believe it? We'll actually be flying something." Hunk whispered to me. "Yeah, but they're really small. If one comes close to crashing they self destruct. Anything within a feet might get damaged." Hunk stared at me "What? How do you know that?" I shrugged "Me and Shiro helped the Holts design and test the pods, which means we worked with the drones. Pidge programmed most of them. It was her idea for them to explode." Hunk laughed "Yeah, that sounds like Pidge. But why?" "To show how dangerous messing up can be. In the simulator, if you mess up you can just start over. In real life, if you mess up, it's over. You're done for." "Wow. That's...uh...dark." I shrugged "It was Pidge's idea. I just came up with a reason for it." "Kogane, since you're talking I assume that you're ready to use the simulator?" Shiro said, seemingly disapprovingly. But I saw a smile in his eyes. He knew i could beat the simulator. Hell, he knew I could beat him. He was giving me a chance to show off, one I would gladly take. "Of course I am Mr.Kogane." "Then step up to the pod and do it. In front of the whole class." Ah, he was giving me a chance to show off for James, Lance, Hunk, and the others. "Yes sir." I climbed into the pod, already scanning the controls. I knew these. They were fairly simple, and similar to the ones we already used. "Beginning training sequence, level 1." I smiled. Easy. I started the sequence, and finished it in seconds. I heard whispers spread throughout my classmates. Shrio smiled "Continue sequences until failure." I nodded and began. 

2...

3....

10....

24........

30.....

I passed level after level with ease.

42...

60...

End of simulations

I had finished? I hadn't even noticed. I heard clapping behind, and turned to see my classmates gathered behind me, staring in awe at my screen. Shiro smiled proudly "Very good. I look forward to seeing you in fighter pilot training next year." My friends walked up to mr and immediately started congratulating me. "That was great man! You've got to show me how to do that!" Lance said, hooking his arm around my shoulders. I smiled "Sure." Hunk swept me up into a bear hug "That was so cool! You did great!" "Thanks Hunk." Griffin hugged me to "That was amazing Keith! You're a natural!" Kinkade high fives me "And you said you weren't that good." I shrugged "Well, I don't like to brag." Lance smiled at me "Well if you won't toot your own horn, I will. Don't you agree?" James smiled "Actually, I do." Then, they picked me up and put me on their shoulders "BEHOLD! KEITH KOGANE,BEST PILOT OF HIS GENERATION!" Lance yelled. Him and the others paraded me around the room, while everyone else laughed and congratulating me and high fiving me. Shiro just shook his head, still smiling. I could tell that I was too. My cheeks hurt, but I couldn't stop. I was on cloud nine.


	47. Stars

Keith POV 

Even during dinner, people were still congratulating me for my success in the simulator. I was very popular. Veronica was over the moon when she heard, and Pidge just punched me in the arm, saying "Gays are good pilots." She wasn't wrong. Me and Shiro were both "the best pilots of our generation", and James and Lance weren't too bad at flying either.

After dinner, when we got to our room, James pulled me into a hug and carried me to the his bed. "Ah! James!" He just laughed, setting me down next to him "What? Am I not allowed to be happy for my boyfriend?" I blushed hearing the word. Our relationship was mostly huge and affectionate words, no actions. "You are, but I don't like being picked up." He nodded "Okay. So, what do you want fro your birthday?" I shook me head "I don't want anything. I have everything I need." "But Kitten, it's your birthday. There has to be something you want." I thought for a moment, and felt my eyes flick to James's lips. Then I knew what I wanted "Well...there is one thing." James's eyes lit up "What? What is it?" I felt my face heat up a bit "I want to go on a date." I blurted out. James looked shocked for a moment, then smiled. "Of course. I think I know what we can do. And it's right here at the Garrison." I raised an eyebrow "What is it?" He just smiled at me "You'll have to wait and see." I pouted "But Griff!" He shook his head "Nope. You ain't getting anything from me." He started to stand, but I tackled him around the waist. "Oof. Kitten, what are you doing?" I put my chin on his chest and smiled at him sweetly "You're my prisoner now." he rolled his eye "And how do I get out of prison?" he asked with a smile on his face. "With cuddles." I stated, still staring at him from my place on his chest. He just shook his head and wrapped his hands around me "Like that?" and I nodded. I rolled off him and clung to his side. "So..why have you been so moody lately?" I asked. I had him here, I might as well ask. He sighed "Well, my parents have been...fighting a lot lately. They're considering getting a divorce." I heard his breath hitch on the last part, and I realized that he was trying not to cry. I sat up, and moved so that he could sit up next to me. "Really?" I asked, concerned. If his parents were getting divorced, that would change his entire life. I knew first hand what that could do to someone, losing your parents, or not having them there. He nodded, eyes on the ground. "Yeah. They told me a little while before school started." "But they seemed so happy together." "Yeah, they were. But I guess, it just wasn't the same. I mean, when I was a kid, I thought that they were perfect for each other. We did lots of stuff together, like go to the beach or park. But lately, they've been..I don't know. Awkward around each other. Pretty much the only time that we were all together was dinner, and even then it was weird. But it's not like they're yelling at each other and screaming across the house. But over the little things." I leaned on his shoulder "I'm so sorry. But how? You said that they've been together for years. That they were each others best friends." "Yeah. But I guess that now, they're just meant to be friends. It worked for a while, but I guess it doesn't anymore. But they said it won't be anything major. I'll probably stay with my dad, since my mom has to travel for work sometimes. They said that we'd stay in Texas though, and still do stuff together. They just won't be married. But its just..... it's weird. They still spend time together, but they won't be in a relationship." I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. He leaned into my chest, and I fell back on the bed. He smiled at me "Now you're my prisoner. I demand cuddles." I rolled my eyes and sighed "Finee." We laid there in silence for a little while before James started talking "Hey..Keith?" "Hmm?" "I want to show you something." "Okay." We got up and walked out the door. It was getting late, and most everybody was in their rooms. He grabbed my hand and led me to a closet. He checked to make sure nobody was watching, then pulled me inside. There were cleaning supplies, a trash bucket, and..a ladder? "James? What is this?" He just smiled at me and started climbing the ladder. I climbed after him, and he opened a hatch up top. He climbed up and offered me his hand. HE pulled me up and I saw where we were and...

Wow. It was beautiful. We were on the roof of the garrison, and you could see the last whispers of the sun peeking out over the horizon, and above us were the stars. Hundreds of thousands of them, shining in the night sky. Constellation upon constellation, visible in the night sky. I looked at James, who was smiling at me fondly "How'd you find this?" He shrugged "I was poking around one day. I come up here to think a lot. It's one of the few places in the Garrison that's quiet, and I don't think anybody else knows about it." I continued to stare at the stars. It was so clear up here. Most places had clouds and smog in the sky, so the stars were invisible. but here, they were clear skies, and the stars shone brightly. "Come on. Let's sit down." He pulled me to the edge of the roof, and we carefully sat down. "So is this why you're always so tired? You come up here at night?" James nodded "Yeah. I come here to think and clear my head. And it's not like we can see the stars from the dorms. We don't have any windows." We laughed, and I smiled. "This is..beautiful. I haven't seen the stars this clearly in years." "When was the last time?" I shrugged "Me and Shiro were in one of our first few foster homes. They lived out in the countryside, in a small town. They were really nice, and took us stargazing once or twice a month." I smiled, remembering those nights. They were some of the best of my life. We'd stay out for hours, finding the constellations and making up our own. "What happened?" "We had to move. Me and Shiro. We lived in a orphanage nearby, and the people there were really nice. Not all of them are like the ones in the books and the movies. Shiro enrolled in the Garrison, and a few years later, he was 18, and we were no longer in the system. He bought our house far out near the desert so that we could still see the stars. I think it was also a big part of why he wants to go to space so bad. So he can be among the stars." James was silent. I looked over at him, and he had a smile on his face. "What?" "Nothing. You're just beautiful when you smile." I felt my face heat up, and I pushed James's arm. "Shut up." "What Kitten? You also have beautiful eyes." "James!" "And a cute laugh.." I shoved him "Stop!" he wobbled on the edge a bit, but didn't fall. "What? Do you not like compliments?" i shook my head "I don't like blushing when I get compliment. And whenever it's from you I'm going to!" He just smiled and leaned back. We sat there for a while before heading back to our dorm. We never said a word, but an agreement had been made. the rooftop was our place. We weren't going to tell our friends about it, just like we weren't going to tell them about our relationship.

_It'll be our special place._


	48. Planning and Walmart

**It's now 2 days before Keith's birthday**

Pidge POV

"Okay guys, we need to make sure that Keith's birthday is perfect. Which means that we have a lot to do." They all nodded. Me, V, Kinkade, James, Hunk, Lance, and Shiro were all gathered in the lounge room, planning Keith's birthday party. Adam was keeping him busy, along with Matt. He was working on an upgrade for the last set of pods, and it was a perfect excuse to get Keith away from the others. "Well, I talked to Iverson, and I can take four of you with me to Walmart. So who's going?" Shiro said, scanning our faces. "Well, Pidge and Hunk should go, since she knows what decorations to get and Hunk needs to get the ingredients for the cake." James said, and I nodded "Yeah. And we might need someone else here to distract Keith if they finish early. And it has to be someone that normally hangs out with him, so that rules out James and Kinkade." They nodded, and Kinkade said "Well, you could take the McClains. He doesn't hang out with Lance and Veronica a lot, and he'll think nothing of it if they're not here." "Yeah. And we can help you guys carry the stuff. But what about presents?" Lance said "Present are one of the most important parts." Fuck. I hadn't thought of that. "Well, us four can get gifts for Keith when we go, and maybe Shriro can take Kinkade and James later?" Veronica suggested. We looked at Shiro, who nodded in agreement "Yeah. But then how are we going to get him out of his room tomorrow?" Fuck, another problem. "Whatcha doing?" Someone said behind me, and I jumped "Holy shit!" Kinkade smiled "Hey Riz, Ina." Razavi smiled at him. "But seriously, what are you guys doing?" We looked at each other, and came to a silent agreement that we would tel them. "We're planning a party for Keith, and we need to keep him out of his room so that we can set it up." "Well does he know about it?" Razavi asked. "Yeah, but he just knows we're having a party, not what we're doing for it. He thinks it'll just be cake and snacks with Mario Kart afterwards." James said. "Well then set up the game in here. He'll think it's part of party and willingly leave the room, giving you time to set up." Ina said. "She's right." Kinkade said with a smile,while James frowned "But Keith likes to sleep in. Especially on the weekends." Shiro shrugged "then you pick him up and carry him out. He'll panic at first, but once he realizes that it's you, he'll be fine." James turned light pink, and I grinned. So Shiro knew. Lance just looked confused "How come?" Right l, he doesn't know. "He trust James. And it's normal for him to see him in the morning." Lance nodded. Shiro stood "Well, we all know what we have to do. Let's get to it!" We left to do our assigned tasks. Me. Hunk, Veronica and Lance with Shiro, James, Kinkade, Razavi and Ina to find Keith.

At Walmart 

I pity Keith and Adam. The whole way there, Shiro played Taylor Swift songs, and him and Lance sung along. "PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!" I yelled, as Hunk and Veronica covered their ears. I looked at Veronica "Does he do this at home?" She nodded "Yeah. His playlist is full of Swift, Beyonce, and others like that. He sings all the time at home. The worst part is, he's not bad at singing." We spent the rest of the ride trying not to rip our ears off. Luckily, we were able to change out of our uniforms and into normal clothes. I had on my green and white sweatshirt and shorts, junk had a yellow shirt, a dark green vest and shorts,. V had jeans and a tshirt, Shiro wore the same but in different colors. Lance had a blue and white long sleeve shirt, along with a dark green hoodie.

We walked into the store and immediately separated into two groups. The boys in one, and me and V in the other. "So..about Klance." She trailed off, and I smiled. "You think it might be possible." She nodded "Yeah. I mean, they went from completely hating each other to sitting in the others lap in less than a day. And Lance was very persistent that we got him presents."I smiled, grabbing some streamers "I know right? But Keith is SUPER into James. And from Shiro's talk with James, I think him and Adam will try and set them up." She grabbed some plates "So..are we team Jeith or team Klance?" I shrugged "It varies from moment to moment." I surveyed our arms, which were filled with decorations. "I think that's all. Let's go get him some presents."

We walked to the toy aisle where we met the boys. Shiro and Hunk had armfuls of ingredients, along with some candy and sodas. "Where Lance?" I asked, noticing that he wasn't with them. "He went to get a cart for all our stuff." Shiro answered. Then we heard crashing and creaking, and saw Lance riding the cart down the aisles. "Lance!" He just smiled and skidded to a stop in front of us. "What? It was faster than walking. So put your stuff in and let's get Keith's presents." We all sighed, but dumped our stuff in the cart. "Well, I think I should drive the cart. You've proven that you can be..reckless. And I have eggs in there." Hunk said. I expected Shiro to try and drive it, but he said nothing. First, we went to the stuffed animal aisle, where Lance pulled out a purple hippo. Shiro smiled "He'll love this one. He used to have one like that when he was little." Lance smiled brightly, obviously proud of his choice. Hunk had gotten him some Coke and Sour Patch, and Veronica picked out a fuzzy red blanket. Me, I grabbed a gay pride flag and some Hot Cheetos. I had ordered the flag online and picked it up in store, because for some reason they don't sell them in store. But Shiro, he got Keith a more interesting gift. He went over to the hunting section and got him a nice silver knife. When we all looked at him questionably he just shrugged "What? Keith likes knives. You should see him at dart throwing games. Straight into the target. Unlike us." He whispered that last part, and we all giggled. At checkout, the cashier gave us a weird look, probably wondering why a 20 something year old was with a bunch of kids buying party supplies, toys, a pride flag, and a knife. Shiro just smiled at them and showed them his license. They shrugged and rang up our purchases. When we got in the truck, Hunk rushed to be in the front. "I don't want to hear any more singing today." he reasoned, and me and V agreed. Lance looked offended "Do you not like my singing?" I shook my head and smiled sweetly "No, but you AND Shiro singing cheesy pop songs for an entire car ride is annoying as FUCK!" then, like Captain America, Shiro said "Language!" We all laughed, and started the drive back "So, when we get back, we're going to take the stuff to me and Adam's room, then I'm going to take James and Kinkade to get Keith presents." Shiro said, and we all nodded "And then tomorrow morning I'll start making the cake.." Hunk trailed off "And the next morning we get James to carry Keith out to play Mario Kart." I saw Shrio smile in the mirror "And then you guys go and set up his room for the party. We're lucky it's on a weekend this year. And that you guys don't have school." Yes, that's right. We used to have classes everyday at the Garrison, which led to us having a shorter school year, but they did away with that after the first year. And it's not like there's anything you can do but hang out around the Garrison until you're 16. That's when you're allowed to start leaving the school. "Right. But we'll also need a few other people with him. If it's just him and James, he'll complain and ask why they couldn't just do it in their room." Shiro nodded "Alright. So, Hunk, what ind of cake are you making?" Hunk smiled brightly "A vanilla cake, that all red. But I'm going to try and make it two layers with alternating shade of red in the batter. It'll probably end up tasting like a mixture of Vanilla and Red Velvet cake." I felt my mouth start watering at the thought of that cake. IT would be SOOO good. "Hunk, don't speak of it. Or I'm about to start drooling in Shiro's truck." Lance said, and Shiro gasped "Don't do that! It takes forever to clean this truck and get stains out!" I raised an eyebrow "How would you know? You didn't..do anything back here, did you?" Shiro went pink "Kaite Holt! Don't say that! And no, of course not!" I smirked "Ooh, my name. So scary." Shiro shook his head, face still pink "We didn't DO anything back there. But sometimes we spill things, like soda and ice cream. One time, Keith dropped an entire scoop of ice cream on the seat, and it took forever for me to get it out." We spent the rest of the ride talking and joking around. I smiled to myself 

_Maybe things will always be like this_


	49. Walmart

James POV

When the others got back, and we helped them get all of the stuff into Shiro and Adam's room. "So, you boys ready to go?" Shiro asked, and me and Kinkade nodded. When we got in the truck, I sat in the back, and Kinkade sat shotgun. Shiro looked at me through the mirror "So, James, what are you getting your crush for his birthday?" I felt my face heat up, and Kinkade smiled "So you know?" he asked, and Shiro nodded. "Yeah. It's really obvious that they like each other." I picked my head up, acting surprised "He likes me?" We still hadn't told the others that we were dating, and Shiro knew that. He smiled and nodded "Yeah. But what are you gonna get him?" I smiled an pulled out my chain, which still had the ring on it. "I'm going to give him this." Kinkade stared at the ring in my hand "Damn. That's nice. Are you gonna tell him too?" I shrugged, putting the chain back in my shirt "Maybe. I don't know." Kinkade groaned "Why not? You've been crushing on him since the first day! You got in a fight the first week because Lance was being mean to him. It's been two YEARS. You went to Cornyval with him, and you guys were ALONE for a while no doubt, and you still didn't tell him?" Shiro shook his head "No, he didn't. But he did end up telling me after I asked about it. He said a lot about his hair and eyes." Kinkade gasped "I know right! He'll drone on and on for hours about his "violet eyes" and "Raven black hair" to me and the others. Minus Lance." I felt my face heat up even more "Shut up."' They laughed, but they stopped. We pulled up and stepped out of the truck. When we got inside, we went straight (haha not) to the candy aisle. Kinkade got a giant bag of Sour Patch Kids, then some peanut M&M's. "I didn't know Keith liked peanut M&M's." Shiro stated, and Kinkade smiled "He doesn't. But I do. I figured while I'm here, I might as well get something I want." Shiro shrugged "Makes sense." We loaded our arms with candies and then a few sodas and went back to the front. "Wait, I need to get something." I shoved my stuff into Shiro's arms, and ran off to the stuffed animals, and began searching for a hippo. I couldn't find one, so I went to the storage containers and got a tiny box. When I got back, Shiro and Kinkade were both carrying bags. "Hey, We already checked out. What'd you get?" Kinkade asked, and I held up the box "I'm going to give Keith the ring. I figured I needed a box to but it in." He nodded, and I went to check out. The cashier eyed me oddly "Are you with the tall guy?" I nodded. "What are you guys doing? This is the second time I've seen him today." I shrugged "We;re planning a party for our friends birthday. We had to get decorations, snacks and presents." "Ahh." he nodded and rang up the box. after I paid for it, I went back to the truck, where Kinkade and Shiro were waiting. We got in the truck and began the drive back. On the way, we ate about half of the M&M's, and joked around. Keith birthday was in less than 48 hours. Hunk was going to make cake, we'd play games, eat snacks, and do presents. This was going to be fun. And then I'll give Keith the ring of course.

_I wonder what he'll do_


	50. Happy Birthday!

Keith POV

I was asleep, when all of a sudden I felt someone pull me out of bed. "Ugh, Shiro, let me sleep." I nuzzled into who was holding me, and i heard their heartbeat speed up "Happy birthday Kitten." I opened my eyes groggily, and was greeted with James's smiling face. I rubbed my eyes "Hi Griff. And thanks." I realized that he was carrying me bridal style, and I smiled "Is this some kind of prediction for the future?" His face went pink and he smiled "Maybe. But come on. Pidge set up Mario Kart in the lounge room, and Kinkade and Veronica are waiting for us." I groaned. Social interaction, this early in the morning? On a Saturday? "Fine. Put me down." he set me down, and after I changed, I followed him out of our room. When the others spotted me, they all smiled "Happy Birthday!" they yelled. I smiled "Thanks guys. But why are we playing in here? Why not one of our rooms?" Kinkade shrugged and James sat on the floor next to Pidge "Because we always do that. Today's a special day. Come on, lets get started." I shrugged and plopped down James's lap. "Alright. Hand me a controller." Pidge handed one over, and we started a race. Halfway through, I felt James wrap his arms around me and put his chin in my shoulder, just like he had at Cornyval. We played for a few hours before we decided to head back to me and James's room. We walked in and..

"SURPRISE!" I shrieked and jumped up and into James. He laughed "Calm down Kitten." He whispered. My friends, plus Adam, Matt and Shiro were there. Shiro walked up and hugged me "Happy birthday lil bro." He said, while ruffling my hair."Thanks." Adam hugged me too, and Matt smacked my shoulder "Look who's all grown up." I just smiled. Everyone congratulated me in turn, and Lance slung his arm around my shoulders "Happy birthday Mullet. Do you like it?" He said, gesturing to the decorations. I smiled brightly "Yeah." James grabbed my hand "Come on, we have snacks, cake and presents." I gasped "Presents? Yay!" We all ate and talked for a while, and Shiro eventually pulled out a karaoke machine and started setting it up. I groaned "Please tell me that doesn't have cheesy pop songs on it." He just smiled "That's what karaoke machines are for. Singing cheesy pop songs." I just shook my head and went back to talking with my friends. "Alright, it's ready. Who wants to go first?" Shiro said, witha huge grin on his face. "Keith should go. Birthday boy first!" Pidge said, and I glared at her. "No." She knew I didn't lile singing, especially in front of people. The others smiled "Yeah. Come on Keith, just this once? Please?" Adam begged, along with Shiro. "Come on Keith, just once?" James pleaded, and him and Lance started giving me puppy dog eyes. God dammit I couldn't say no to those puppy eyes. I sighed "Fine. But only once." I looked at the songs for a minute before deciding one. Darkside by Alan Walker. I took a deep breath and began to sing

_We're not in love  
We share no stories  
Just something in your eyes  
Don't be afraid  
The shadows know me  
Let's leave the world behind_

_Take me through the night_

I looked up and saw the others staring at me. I smiled and continued singing 

_Fall into the dark side  
We don't need the light  
We'll live on the dark side  
I see it, let's feel it  
While we're still young and fearless  
Let go of the light  
Fall into the dark side  
Fall into the dark side  
Give into the dark side  
Let go of the light  
Fall into the dark side_

Shrio and Adam were smiling proudly. They had heard me sing before, but never in front of others.

_Beneath the sky_

_As black as diamonds_

_We're running out of time  
Don't wait for truth  
To come and blind us  
Let's just believe their lies_ _Believe it, I see it  
I know that you can feel it  
No secrets worth keeping  
So fool me like I'm dreaming_

Pidge smile evily, and I knew that when I was done she'd be saying "I told you so."

_Take me through the night_

_Fall into the dark side_  
 _We don't need the light_  
 _We'll live on the dark side_  
 _I see it, let's feel it_  
 _While we're still young and fearless_  
 _Let go of the light_  
 _Fall into the dark side_  
 _Fall into the dark side_  
 _Give into the dark side_  
 _Let go of the light_  
 _Fall into the dark side_  
OO _Take me through the night  
Fall into the dark side  
We don't need the light  
We'll live on the dark side  
I see it, let's feel it  
While we're still young and fearless  
Let go of the light  
Fall into the dark side_

I kept eye contact with James for the entire last chorus as he stared at me in awe. I finished and they all clapped. Lance stared at me "Keith that was..." "Amazing." James finished for him. Pidge smiled "I told you so." I smiled and sat back next to James. He put his arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him. "You were amazing. " he whispered. Veronica stood and stretched "Well, Pidge, wanna help me show the others how its it's done?" Pidge smiled at her "Gladly." They went over to the machines and picked a song. Rock N Roll by Ava Lavagine.

_Let 'em know that we're still rock 'n roll_ _I don't care about my make-up  
I like it better with my jeans all ripped up  
Don't know how to keep my mouth shut  
You say, "so what?" (what)_ _I don't care if I'm a misfit  
I like it better than the hipster bullshit  
I am the motherfuckin' princess  
You still love it_ _Some, somehow, it's a little different when I'm with you  
You know what I really am, all about  
You know how it really goes, oh, oh, oh, oh yeah  
Some some way  
We'll be getting out of this town one day  
You're the only one that I want with me  
You know how the story goes, oh, oh, oh_ _When it's you and me  
We don't need no one to tell us who to be  
We'll keep turning up the radio  
What if you and I  
Just put up, a middle finger to the sky  
Let them know that we're still rock 'n roll_

_Rock 'n roll, hey hey hey_

_Rock 'n roll, hey hey hey_

_Call it a bad attitude dude_

_I'm never gonna to cover up that tattoo  
I might have a couple issues  
You say, "me too" (yeah)  
Don't care about a reputation  
Must be living in the wrong generation  
This is your invitation  
Let's get wasted_ _Some some how, it's a little different when, I'm with you  
You know what I really am, all about  
You know how the story goes, oh, oh, oh_ _When it's you and me  
We don't need no one to tell us who to be  
We'll keep turning up the radio  
What if you and I  
Just put up a middle finger to the sky  
Let them know that we're still rock 'n roll_ _Rock 'n roll, hey, hey, hey  
Rock 'n roll, hey, hey, hey (rock 'n roll)_ _When it's you and me  
We don't need no one to tell us who to be  
We'll keep turning up the radio_ _What if you and I  
Just put up a middle finger to the sky  
Let them know that we're still rock 'n roll_ _When it's you and me  
We don't need no one to tell us who to be  
We'll keep turning up the radio_ _What if you and I  
Just put up a middle finger to the sky  
Let them know that we're still rock 'n roll_ _Rock 'n roll, hey, hey, hey  
Rock 'n roll, hey, hey, hey_

When they finished we all cheered. "That, was amazing." Kinkade said, and Matt smiled. "My sister, tech genius and singer." Lance chuckled "Please. Let ME show you how it's done." he stood and picked a song. Once it started playing, I recognized it immediately. GIRLS/GIRLS/BOYS by PATD! Not bad. Lance pulled the microphone to his lips witha smirk, and started singing.

_I don't wanna hear you've got a boyfriend  
Sometimes you're better off alone  
But if you change your mind, you know where I am  
Yeah if you change your mind, you know  
Where to find me  
'Cause I don't ever wanna be your boyfriend_

_And never did I think that I_

_Would be caught in the way you got me  
Push another girl aside and just give in_

_Girls love girls and boys_

_Girls love girls and boys  
And never did I think that I  
Would be caught in the way you got me  
But girls love girls and boys  
And love is not a choice_

He started dancing, rolling his hips and moving his free arm.

_Pose, you've gotta save your reputation_

_They're close to finding out about your girlfriend  
But if you change your mind, you know where I am  
Yeah if you change your mind, you know  
Where to find me  
'Cause I don't wanna save your reputation. _

_And never did I think that I  
Would be caught in the way you got me  
Push another girl aside and just give in. _

_Would be caught in the way you got me  
Push another girl aside and just give in. _

_Girls love girls and boys_

_Girls love girls and boys  
And never did I think that I  
Would be caught in the way you got me  
But girls love girls and boys  
And love is not a choice_ _I am just a villain vying for attention  
From a girl  
A girl who can't decide and here's the reason why_

_Girls love girls and boys_

_Girls love girls and boys  
Girls love girls and boys  
Girls love girls and boys  
And never did I think that I  
Would be caught in the way you got me  
But girls love girls and boys  
And love is not a choice_

He finished with a big spin. He smiled "Razzle dazzle!" We clapped, and Veronica wolf whistled. "Yeah Lance!" Then she smiled "What about the rest of you boys? You gonna sing?" James and Kinkade shook their heads "Dude, I can't sing. Ask Pidge." Matg said, and Pidge grimaced."Yeah, hes terrible. But there has to be some song that you guys can sing that you can't mess up." Hunk thought for a moment "What about Highway to Hell? That's pretty easy." Kinkade nodded and Matt stood. "Well, James? How about you?" I asked, and he shook his head. "Nope. I don't sing." "Neither do I, but I did it. Please, just one song?" I pleaded while giving him puppy eyes. He sighed "Okay." He stood and went with the others. They started singing 

The fuck did James mean? He was great at singing. Most of Matt's was voice cracks and purposefully bad singing. Kinkade and Hunk weren't bad at all, but they weren't particularly good. When James came back to my side, he played his head in my lap. "What do you mean you don't sing? That was really good." He shrugged "I don't like doing it in front of people. Makes me nervous." I smile at him "I'm the exact same way." At that time, I heard a very similar song start, and I groaned "No! Not this one again!" James looked at me "What?" "I know this song. They sing it all the time." Shiro and Adam were smiling at me evily, and Shiro winked. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga started. They smiled and started dancing, if you could call it that.

Half way through it was mostly laughter with few choked out words. By the end, everyone was cracking up,and Shrio was lying breathless on the floor. We were all dying from laughter, and I couldn't breathe. "O-oh-okay, I think that's enough. How about we do presents?" Adam said, finally catching his breath. I nodded vigorously "Yeah!" James smiled up at me from his spot in my lap and sat up. Adam handed me a box "This is from me and Shiro." I ripped it open, and found 50 bucks and..A KNIFE! It was silver, with little etchings in the black handle. "Whoa. This is so cool! Thanks guys!" They smiled, and Lance handed m a bag "Open mine next." I took the tissue paper put and found a purple hippo! I smiled "Thank Lance!" "No problem." He said with a smile, obviously proud of his choice. "Here, open mine next." "Then mine" Pidge and Veronica said, each handing me a gift. I opened Pidge's and found a pride flag and Hot Cheetos. In Veronica's I found a fuzzy red blanket "Wow. Thanks guys!" "Here, now open ours."Kinkade handed me a bag "Its from me and Hunk." Inside were Sour Patch Kids and Cokes. "I'm going to eat nothing but junk food for the next two days." I said and they all smiled. "So, I didn't get you anything, but I can upgrade whatever device you want..so yeah." Mat said with a smile. I rolled my eyes "Thanks. I can tell you put a lot of thought into this." 

James handed me a small box. "Here. Happy birthday." Was it just me or was his face kinda pink? I opened the box and I gasped. It was the silver ring from Cornyval. The one with the rainbow gems. "You remembered." I said, and James smiled "Of course. You wouldn't stop staring at it." I smiled brightly and put it on. Then, I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks James." He started blushing "A-any time." Shiro and Adam smiles knowing, while Pidge, Kinkade and Veronica smirked. Hunk smiled sweetly. He knew we liked each othe, but he wouldn't try and put us together like the others. Matt and Lance just looked confused. "Why are you all smiling? What's a kiss between friends?" I shook my head "Inside joke. You wouldn't get it." Hunk stood "Well, since we've done presents, I think it's time for cake." He walked into the bathroom and came out with a teay "Happy birthday Keith." The cake looked amazing. It was a circle, with red frosting around the edges, with little constellations in the middle. "Holy shit Hunk that looks amazing." He smiled "Yhanks. Now let's eat." He cut the cake and distributed slices. I took one bite and HOLY FUCK. IT WAS DELICIOUS. I groaned in delight. "Fuck. Hunk this is SO GOOD!" "It was nothing." He said, but he was smiling proudly. I scarfed down the rest of my cake and sighed. "Honestly guys this is the best birthday I've ever had. Thanks so much." Pidge smiled "Any time Keith. You're our friend. This is what friends do." Kinkade nodded "Yeah. And you're our friend." "We'll always be here for you." Veronica finished, and I smiled. 

"You guys are the best friends ever."


	51. That Night

Keith POV 

For the next few hours, we all talked and joked around. Pidge wanted to play Truth or Dare again, but we shut that down. At around 10-10:30 people started to leave, and by a they were all gone. I stood from my spot on the couch next to James and stretched. "Well, I'm gonna go to bed." I started towards the bathroom, but James stopped me. He smiled "Not yet. I still have one more thing for you." I raised an eyebrow and he rolled his eyes. "Come on, I'll show you." He led me out of the room and towards the room with the ladder. We went up, and I was shocked by what I saw. There was a few fairy light around the edge of a blanket that had sodas and candy on it. "Whoa." James smiled at me "You said that you wanted to go on a date, so I made one. Do you like it?" I nodded "Fuck yes. God I have the best boyfriend ever." "Come on." He held his hand our to me, and I took it. We sat and started feasting on the sugary food and drinks. "I can't believe it. You guys really went all out." James shrugged "We really care about you Keith. You're like family to them and we love you." I felt my face heat up, and I knew that I was blushing. I smirked "Oh, so you love me?" He blushed a bit and smiled softly "Maybe." My mouth shut and I stared at my soda. He laughed and I glanced up at him "What?" He shook his head "Nothing. You're cute when you blush." I felt face heat up even more "Shut up." He just smiled "Nope. If I think something about you is cute, I'm going to tell you." I glared at him, face hot. He stood and held his hand out"Come on." I glanced at him questioningl,, but took his hand nonetheless. He brought me to the edge of the roof, away from the lights. "I still can't believe how clear the sky is here. Everywhere else theres cloud and smoke. But here, there's nothing." I said, and James smiled "Perks of being in the desert. Not enough water for clouds, and not a factory for miles." Its beautiful." I whispered. "Yeah, but not as beautiful as you." "James!" He chuckled "What? I'm telling the truth. You're beautiful Keith. And smart, and nice, and caring, and talented. You're amazing, and perfect in every way." I knew I was blushing profoundly and I buried my face in his shoulder "James!" "What?" He turned towards me "Keith, I'm telling you what I think of you. You're amazing, and probably the best thing that's ever happened to me." I stared at the ground. He tilted my head upwards, and used his fingertips to brush some of my hair out of my face. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment before James said 

"I love you Keith."

His eyes flickered towards my lips, and we slowly leaned in. He kissed me, and it was amazing. His soft, slightly chapped lips on mine, pushing softly. My hand found their way to his chest, and his to my hair and waist. We pulled away, gasping for breath. We made eye contact, and he smiled at me softly. I smile back"So you do love me?" He chuckled "Yeah. I do. A lot." I smiled "Great. I love you too." He smiled, and pulled me into another kiss. 


	52. Costumes

**Time skip- it's now October 30th, tomorrow is Halloween. The Garrison has a festival for it, in which the students can dress up, play games, get candy and food. In my version of the Garrison, it's much more lenient and fun than the one in the VLD Netflix series. They have festivals/fairs, have weekends off, and can have field trips with proper supervision.**

Hunk POV

"I'm so excited! Halloween is tomorrow!" Keith said, practically jumping up and down. Me, Keith, Pidge, James and Lance were hanging out in the lounge room. Veronica and Kinkade were working on something. "We know Keith. That's almost all you've said for the past few days." Pidge said with a laugh. James smiled "Try being his roommate. It's all he's talked about since the day after his birthday. Halloween this, Halloween that over and over again." Keith glared at him "I don't talk about it THAT much." "Uh, sorry man, but you do." I said with a small smile. "Yeah Keith. It's ALL you talk about. There's millions of other thing we could be talking about! Like how you guys are very obviously gay fo-" I put my hand on Pidge's mouth before she could finish. Both of them went light pink, and Lance smiled "Ohh, really? Come on Pidge, tell me. Who do they like?" I Pidge glared at me, and I took my hand of her mouth "Sorry Lance, but if they haven't told you, and you haven't figured it out, then I won't tell you." She said with a smirk, and Lance frowned. "Pidge, I swear to god if you tell ANYONE I will get Matt to help me wipe your laptop." James said with a growl, and Pidge gasped "You WOUDN'T." His eye narrowed "Try me." Sometimes I forget how scary James can be when he's mad. "Geez man, lighten up." Lance said. "It was a joke." "Yeah James, and it's not like she said their name or something. But why didn't you tell me? I'm your roommate after all, and your best friends." Keith said, putting his hand on James's shoulder. He went light pink "N-no. You'd probably tease me." Keith shrugged "Okay." It was silent for a second, but it was awkward "So..what are you guys gonna be for Halloween?" I asked, and Pidge smiled "It's a surprise. None of us are telling the others who we're gonna be for Halloween, so its a surprise. We're trying to guess the others costumes." I nodded. "Yeah, and you guys will NEVER guess what my costume will be." Keith said with a smirk. "Oh sure. What, you gonna be a ninja? Serial killer? Something emo." Lance stated. "Nope." Keith said, still smiling. "Yeah, I haven't even seen it yet. He won't tell me." James said looking at Keith pointedly. "Well if I told you then you wouldn't have to guess." "He has a point." I said, and James pouted a bit. "Hey, do you know what Shiro and Adam are doing for the festival?" Pidge asked Keith, who nodded "Yeah, they're running the candy booth. I bet we can get them to give us extra stuff." This launched a debate on what candies were the best, which lead to James and Keith arguing with Lance and Pidge about what was better, Fruity candy, or chocolate candy "But chocolate melt. Then it gets all mushy and deformed." James argued, and Lance scoffed "Yeah, but that's when they're best! You let them melt a little bit, then when you eat it they're soft and smooth." "But if you leave them with the fruity candy for too long they start to taste weird." Keith stated, and Pidge sighed. "You know Lance, he's right. If they're together for too long, the chocolate get a bit rubbery and taste like a bag mix of strawberry or banana. You guys win this one." Keith smirked smugly, along with James. Honestly, sometimes they were so in sync it was scary. Lance sighed "Fine. You're right."

Time skip is now Halloween night, still Hunk POV

The next day passed quickly. In all of our classes we either played games or watched a movie. When Halloween night finally came, we all rushed to put on our costumes. I was going to be a chef, and Lance was a vampire. "So Hunk, what do you think? I make a pretty good looking vampire,don't I?" I nodded "Yeah. What do you think of my costume?" Lance gave me an up down, then nodded in approval "Its so you!" He shrieked, and I smiled. "Thanks." I grabbed my pillow case "So you wanna go? The others are probably waiting for us." Lance nodded and we went to Pidge and Veronica's room, where we had decided to meet up. We walked in and saw Pidge in a mad scientist costume, and Veronica in a Captain Marvel suit. "Hey nice choice Ronny. Not bad Pidge." Lance said, going to sit next to Veronica. "Thanks Lance. And you should hear her evil laugh. Its terrifying." I glanced at Pidge, who smiled and then let out a evil laugh "MWAAAHHAHA!" I jumped "Shoot pudge that was scary." She smiled at me "That's the point. Anyway, the gays, Kinkade, Razavi and Ina will be here soon. Do you know what their costumes are?" I shook my head. I heard the door open and I saw Kinkade in a Capitan America suit, Razavi as Miss Marvel, and Ina as Squirrel Girl. "Hey guys! So yall did a group costume?" Pidge asked, and Kinkade nodded "Yeah. The four of us are all superheroes." "Pidge your costume is so cool. And was that YOUR evil laugh I heard?" Razavi asked excitedly "Why, yes, yes it was. It's good right?" She asked, and Rizavi nodded "Yeah! It sounded like it was out of a horror movie!" "Where are the gays? We all said we'd be here by eight and they're late." Ina asked. I almost jumped. She was rally quiet, and I hardy even heard her talk. Lance shrugged "We don't know. But they should get here soon." 

At the exact moment he said that, James and Keith walked in, hand in hand. Pidge, Kinkade and Veronica stared at their hands, with smirks on their faces. James noticed and let go of Keith's hand. "Hey guys, sorry we're late. Someone was being a perfectionist about his costume." James said, looking at Keith, who shrugged "What? I take Halloween very seriously. It's my favorite holiday. So, what do you guys think?" James had on jeans and a Superman jacket with a cape attached, and Keith had a full blown Robin costume. He had boots,skin tight leggings, a cape, a mask, everything. "Wow Mullet. That's some costume." Lance said with a smirk, looking Keith up and down. "It's better than yours. I've seen at least six other vampires on our way here. But no Robins." Keith answered with a smirk, and Lance frowned. "James, why aren't you wearing a costume?" Veronica asked. Him and Keith exchanged a look, and seemed to have a silent conversation. "Um, theres been some..issues at home, and I didn't have time to get a proper costume. Also, there's no way in hell that I'm wearing tights. Keith may be able to do that, but I will not."he answered, and Pidge smirked "Okay. By the way Keith, why'd you decide to wear tights? Why not black jeans?" he shrugged "Looks better. Also, if I have muscle, I might as well show it. Ain't nobody gonna mess with me." It was kinda weird how Keith, James and Kinkade had some obvious muscles, and the rest of us didn't. Don't get me wrong, we weren't weak, but it just didn't show. But the three of them could flex. "How come you guys have muscles and stuff and the rest of us don't? Its not fair." Lance whined. They smirked "Because Lance, unlike you guys, we actually work out sometimes." Kinkade answered. "Yeah, I mean, each of us have the beginnings of a six pack so.." James said with a shrug. "How? Why?" Lance whined "Because, when we work out, it's with Shiro, and he's ripped. He doesn't let us do easy stuff either. You could join us sometime, I'm sure Shiro wouldn't mind having another person to torture, I mean train." Keith said with a smirk. Lance narrowed his eyes at him "Maybe I will." Razavi rolled her eyes "Stupid boys and their muscles. Always trying to one up each other. Come on, lets go! The festival awaits!" We all left the room and headed for the back of the school, where the festival was taking place. Pidge walked up next to me "Five bucks that James is gonna stare at Keith's ass the whole time." "Ten he'll notice and they'll confess." I whispered back. She smiled "Deal. But I have a feeling that I'm going to win." Why do I have a feeling that she's right?


	53. Halloween

Kinkade POV

It was so weird that James and Keith hadn't told each other that they liked one another yet. The suspense was killing me. I knew that once they told each other,they'd probably be all cute and coupley all the time, but it would be worth it. I mean, he had given Keith a fucking ring, and then Keith had kissed him on the cheek. Why wouldn't he ask him out already. I noticed that James was being unusually quiet, so I walked up next to him. "Hey James, you good?" He jumped a bit "Dammit Kinkade. But yeah, I'm good." Noticing that Keith was walking in front of him, I smirked "You're staring at his ass." "I'm starring at his ass." I laughed "Dude, why don't you tell him already? He fucking kissed you. He obviously likes you." James sighed "I know. I also kissed him, but if we told you guys you'd never shut up about it." I stopped and felt my eyes go wide "You what? You kissed him! Really?" His eyes went wide "Shit shit shit. I wasn't supposed to tell you that." "But really though?" He started blushing, and nodded "Yeah. We're kinda sorta dating. We have been since Cornyval. We just didn't want to tell you guys because you'd make a big deal about it. PLEASE don't tell the others." I nodded "Of course not. Does Shiro know?" He nodded "Yeah." I smiled "Then I'm going to tease you relentlessly about it during our workout." He groaned "Kinkade! Please no." Keith walked up to us "Whats going on? You seem flustered and you look excited." I smiled "James told me." His eyes went wide and he punched James's arm. "Ow! It was an accident. I didn't mean to." "Oh. Then sorry. But you're not gonna say anything right? I really don't want Pidge to know." i nodded "Of course not. If you want to tell them, then you can tell them. I won't say anything." He breathed a sigh of relief "Whew. Thanks."

We finally reached the festival, and were greeted with bright lights. The Garrison had strung up yellow light everywhere, and there were a few dozen booths with games and assorted foods. Since the Garrison was practically a boarding school, and we didn't get to leave very often, they had little festivals and parties. They started doing it last year, and they had a spring fair. It wasn't very fun, but they had really upped their game for this one. "Is it just me, or does this look way better than the fair we had last year?" I asked, and Keith nodded. "Yeah, last year Iverson, Sanda, and a few of the older people planned it, so it was their idea of fun. This year Adam and Matt had a big role in it. They said they'd hire a few carnies and stuff." "Yeah, and they set up one of the back buildings to be a haunted house." Pidge said, appearing out of nowhere. 'Shit. Where'd you come from?" James asked, She shrugged "The girls sent me over here to tell you that you're on your own. After Lance started flirting with some ghoul, they lost interest in hanging out with him. So you have to babysit him, along with Hunk." "Hey, I do NOT need to be babysat." Hunk said, walking up to us. Pidge rolled her eyes "I know that, I was referring to Lance. I mean, look at him." she gestured to the side, and we saw Lance leaning against a wall talking to some girls. Keith groaned "Ugh! He's gonna ask us to start calling him Loverboy Lance again." I raised an eyebrow, and me and James looked at his confusedly. He sighed "Whenever he's trying to flirt with someone, he refers to himself as Loverboy Lance. He does it all the time in science. Its annoying." Hunk nodded "Yeah. He visited me and my family a few years ago and tried to use a bunch of cheesy pick up lines on my cousin. Her and her boyfriend laughed at his behind his back a lot." James smirked "Was it the one who got married?" Hunk nodded and sighed "Basically, if its alive, Lance will flirt with it." Pidge shrugged "Well, he's your problem now. Later." She ran back to the others. "Come on Pidge! I wanna go to the haunted house!" Veronica yelled. They then ran off in that direction. I sighed "We better get Lance before he does something stupid." Keith scoffed "So we have to stop Lance form being Lance? Good luck with that." We laughed at that. "Come on, I wanna play games! Can't we just leave him? He looks perfectly fine on his own." Hunk shook his head"No Keith, we can't. If we do, he'll do something stupid and they'll get mad at him. I'll get him." He walked over to Lance and started talking to him. The girls and Lance frowned, but after the passing around of a pen and paper, they all left with smiles. "Alright, you guys wanted me?" Lance asked as he walked over. "Yeah, we wanna play games, but we have to babysit you, so we can't go without you." James said. Lance frowned "I don't need to be babysat. I'm a big boy." Keith rolled his eyes "Just shut up and come with us Lance." He grabbed James's hand " Let's go, the games are waiting." 

With a shrug, we followed them to the games. Keith immediately went towards the darts game with a smile on his face. "Hey Mullet, bet I can beat you at darts." Lance said with a smirk, which Keith returned "Sure. 20 bucks." "Deal." They went towards the games and James smiled. "Why are you two smiling so much?" Hunk asked. James laughed "Me and Keith played darts when we went to Cornyval. He kicked my ass. He even surprised the vendor with his accuracy and skill." "Hey guys! Watch this!" Lance said, holding some darts. He threw dart after dart, missing twice and hitting three times. "Ha! Beat that Mullet!" He gloated to Keith, who shook his head. "Cute, now you can get a rubber ball. Watch the master do it. Griff, can you record?" James went a light pink at the nickname, but pulled out his phone nonetheless. "And go!" Keith picked up all five darts and threw them quickly, one after another, never missing. He even managed to hit two with one! He smiled at Lance sweetly "I believe you owe me 20 bucks. I'll take the red one." Lance stared at him in shock, and the carnie handed him a red bear. James walked over to Keith and hugged him "That was amazing." He whispered something in his ear, and Keith went pink. "Thanks Griff. What'd you think?"he asked, and Hunk smiled "Well, uh, I think that THAT WAS AWESOME! Where'd you learn how to do that?" "Yeah, I've never seen you use a weapon before." I said, and Keith shrugged "Theres a lot about me that you don't know. But I've always liked knives. They're fun." I shrugged. It's not the weirdest thing I've heard. Lance pouted and handed Keith the money "Here. But you cheated." James rolled his eyes, putting his arm over Keith's shoulders "Lance, having skill is jot cheating. It's just talent, not that you would know." Him and Keith fist bumped with smiles on their faces, and Lance frowned. "Rude. Now I'm gonna pick a game, one I'll be sure to beat one of you at. How about.." he scanned the surrounding booths, before setting on one. "The shooting game?" The gays smiled "Sure. And I'll go against you." "Great. Come on Hunk, let's go." Him and Hunk walked towards the booth. "Why do I get the feeling that hes going to lose again?" I asked, and Keith smiled. "Because James is a top notch shooter." "Aww thanks babe." He kissed Keith's cheek, and he went pink. I had to suppress a gag. I knew it. The second they were a couple, they were all touchy feely. "Guys come on. Right now?" James shrugged "You know, so now you have to deal with it. Come on. I wanna kick Lance's ass at shooting." He took Keith's hand and the three of us went to the others. Lance smirked "You ready to lose James?" He let go of Keith and took his gun "I think you'll find that you will be the one losing." The game started, and they began shooting. They each hit target after target, keeping an almost equal score. Lance started to pul ahead, bit then James hit 10 targets in a row,along with the bonus. "Haha! Yes! Eat it McClain!" James exclaimed. "Dammit! Not again!" Lance said, throwing his gun down. He was kinda cute when he was mad. In a general way of course, not romantic. "How is it that you too are so good with weapons? We don't have remaining for it." Hunk asked. James shrugged "My dad and uncle used to take me to the shooting range with them. They used to do contests when they were younger, and they wanted me to know how to shoot. Its actually kinda fun." James answered. "But how? I normally beat everyone at these kinds of games! You guys had to have cheated." Keith narrowed his eyes at Lance "Just because YOU aren't good enough to beat us doesn't mean you can just accuse us of cheating. It's called skill, maybe you should try to find some. Come on James." He started walking away, and after death staring Lance, James followed him. "Great job Lance. You made the gays mad. If you think your fight with James was bad the first year, it'll be worse now. They're both strong." Lance sighed "I know. I can see Keith muscle through the leggings. But I just don't get it! How are they so good at all this? And so in sync?" Hunk shrugged "They've been roommates for three years. You fall into a rythym. They've mastered it." "Come on. We should probably find them." 

They nodded, and we went our separate ways. Lance and Hunk would check the front part and me the back. But me being smart, I just texted them asking where they were. Hunk could keep Lance in line, then us three could hang out.

Kinkade-where u gays at

Gay4Keith- haunted house

Kinkade- on my way

I found them in the line and walked over. "There you are. We're going in soon. " James said. Him and Keith were holding hands, and Keith had taken his mask off. "Great. Is it scary?" Keith shook his head "I texted Pidge and asked, and she said no. But Matt's in charge of it, and we can tease him about his failure later."

We went through the haunted house, with the occasional blow up popping out. The scariest part was how bad it was. I guess he put so much work into the games and food that he overlooked the house. "Well, that was disappointing." I said, and James nodded. "Yeah. Hey, how about we go find Shiro and Adam. Didn't you say that they were taking care of the candy?" Keith nodded "Yeah. I think its. Over here." As we walked they held hands. When Shiro spotted us,he waved us over. He was dressed as Superman, and Adam as Batman. "Hey guys, how you liking the fair this year?" I shrugged "The haunted house was a let down." He nodded "Yeah, Matt didn't try very hard in that part." He motioned towards Keith and James "So you know?" "Yeah. James accidentally told me." "Come one, just one picture?" Adam asked. We turned to see him trying and failing to convince Keith and James to let him take a picture of them. "Adam, no! Why?" Keith exclaimed with a pink face. James looked even more embarrassed "Yeah,I mean, doesn't Batman hate Superman?" "So, you guys look so cute together." Shiro sighed and put an arm around his fiance's shoulders "Come on Adam, leave them alone. Here." He handed each if us big bags of candy, like the kind you get for trick or treats. "Holy shit, Thanks Shiro!" Keith said with a smile. "Yeah, this is awesome!" James added. Adam quickly took a picture. Since we were all strong, could hold the bags with one arm, they were still holding hands, and they were smiling. "And that's how you get a good picture of two teens on Halloween. With large amounts of free candy. Boom!" Shiro said victoriously. Keith rolled his eyes. "Not bad Shiro. Come on, let's go get high on sugar." James said.

We left Shiro and Adam, and went to their room. We texted the girls and Hunk about our new found abundance of candy, and they were in the room not too long after. "WHERES THE CANDY?" Pidge said, running into the room. I showed her the loot, and her eyes doubled in size. "HOLY SHIT! GIVE ME SOME!" Veronica yelled. Soon, we were all eating candy and laughing. Hunk and Lance got there not too soon after, and their eyes were like saucers when they saw the candy. Me, Razavi and Ina were on the couch, Keith and James on the bottom bunk, Veronica and Pidge on the top, and Lance and Hunk on the floor. We ate candy and laughed late into the night, telling them about Lance's defeats, talking about how bad the haunted house was, and everything inbetween. It was amazing and fun. We all seemed to fit together perfectly, and completed one another. Even Ina was laughing and talking. 

I wish things could be like this forever. 


	54. Workout

**Time skip-it's now December. The Garrison had a special meal for Thanksgiving, but nothing big. Kinkade is still the only one in the group of friend that knows that Jeith/Jaith is dating. Him and Shiro tease them relentlessly about it during their workout times.**

Kinkade POV

I knocked on their door impatiently. Why did they always take so long? We were going to be late, and then Shiro would make us do extra drills. Again! Every Saturday, from 9 to 10:30, we had a workout with Shiro. If we were late, he gave us extra stuff to do. And every god damn time, we were late. "Guys come on! You can fuck each other later!" I yelled, while banging on the door. It opened, and I was met with a red faced Keith and a smirking James. "Kinkade! Don't say that!" Keith growled. "Why not? It got you out here didn't it?" HE sighed and rolled his eyes. We began walking down the hall, and I could see some weird marks on Keith's neck. Wait. Where those...THEY WERE HICKIES! "James! What'd you do to him?" I whisper yelled. He smirked "Nothing. But don't tell Shiro. He'd kill me." "Dude, he's going to see it. You're SO dead." He shrugged "It'll be worth it." When we got to the gym, Shiro was standing in the doorway. "There's my favorite students! Whats up..."he trailed off, his eyes zeroing on Keith's neck. "What. Are. Those?" He asked in a stern voice, and Keith and James went light pink. "N-nothing." Keith stuttered, looking afraid. "Are those..hickies? You have fucking hickies? Keith! James!" They looked at each other, then burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! See! I told you so!" James said. "You guys actually thought they were real?" Keith questioned, still laughing. "Well, yeah." I said, confused. Keith rubbed his neck, and when he pulled his hand away it was smeared "We used some paint to make them. That's why we took so long. We had to draw them on." Shiro just stared at them in disbelief. "I can't believe you guys did that." I said, shaking my head. "You're just mad because we tricked you." James retorted. Shiro shook his head "No more fake hickies. If I see any, they should be real." Keith went bright red, and James smiled. "No problem." He said, walking up to Keith and putting his arm around him. Keith slapped his arm "James!"

Shiro smiled, obviously happy for his brother. "Well, lets go. Today we're doing weight training. I want each of you to have an almost fully formed six pack by the time I leave for Kerberos." Keith's smile fell when he heard Shiro mention the mission, but he shook it off. When we got in, we found Lance in the weight room? He smiled at us "Hey guys." James took his arm off of Keith "What are you doing here?" he asked. Lance shrugged "You guys said that you worked out with Shiro, and you guys said that he wouldn't mind having another person. So, here I am." Well that just took all of the fun out of this. Now we can't tease James and Keith. Or do any hard stuff because now we have to figure out what Lance can and can't do. This was going to be fun. Shiro smiled "Yeah, and now, I can watch when you guys do duo drills, instead of participating. James and Keith you guys are together, Kinkade you work with Lance. You'll be benching, starting with 50 and working your way up to 120." Lance's jaw dropped "What? I've never used any of this stuff before!" Keith smiled at him "Don't worry, its not that hard. Watch." Him and James added a hundred pounds to the fifty pound bar and he immediately did 20 reps, with James spotting him. Lance stared in disbelief. Keith sat up and smiled "See? Easy." "Yeah, for you! You guys have been doing this for longer than I have!" Lance whined. James smirked "What? Can "Loverboy Lance" not do it? Is Keith gonna be better than you at this too?" Lance glared at him "No, I can do it. Just give me time."

We spent the next 20 minutes doing benching, then we went to squats. We did that one by one, and I stood next to James when Keith went. "You're staring at his ass." I whispered. He nodded "I'm staring at his ass. But so is Lance." I glanced to the side, and saw that he was. "I think he's jealous. He's obviously the weakest out of all of us, and Keith can probably pick him up." "Yeah, but now he's gonna be obsessed with beating Keith at this." "5 bucks he pulls a muscle trying to beat Keith." "10 he quits within a month." "Deal." For the next hour, we did drill after drill, ranging from squats to sprints. Keith and Lance seemed to always trying to one-up each other, and it was funny to watch. But Keith would always win. And each time, he had a satisfied smirk, while Lance frowned.

We did one last sprint around the room, and came to a stop. Each of us was bent over, trying to catch our breath. "Alright, time for one last thing." Shiro said, and we all groaned. "But Shiro! Give us a break!" Lance whined. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Lance. I've had enough." Keith said. Me and James nodded in agreement. "Relax, you guys will like tis one. We're going to do a race." We all stood up straight, even though I'm the only one who was. Shiro smiled "Glad to see I have your attention. You'll be running around the gym 3 times, and on the third time, you'll tag out to your partner. First team done gets to leave. Whoever loses has to do another 5 laps." Shit. Those were high stakes. But this would be fun. Normally all we did was drills, nothing fun. "Keith and James are one team, Kinkade, you and Lance are another. Keith and Lance will go first. Get ready to start." We went to the doors of the gym, and Keith and Lance got ready to run. "3..2..1 GO!" Shiro yelled, and they sped off. They were pretty close for the first two laps, but on the third Keith somehow managed to get ahead on the turns, ad he rushed to tag out. Right as Lance hit the last turn, James ran off, starting his laps. Lance tagged me in and promptly fell face first on the floor. I chased after James, ten, twenty feet behind him. We were neck and neck for a while, then he got the better of me, making narrow turns compared to my wide ones. He finished a few seconds before me, with a victorious "YES!" Him and Keith ran into each other. Kieth jumped into his arms and James twirled him around in a hug. "That. Was. Amazing." Keith said, kissing James's cheek inbetween each word. "Hey, keep it PG." Shiro said with a laugh. "How can you guys hug, you're both sweaty?" I asked. James shrugged "But you did pretty good. I thought you were gonna beat me for a second." "But how did you beat me? We were tied for a long time." He smiled "Keith taught me how to do smaller turns. It shaves a surprising amount of time off." "Ohh." That makes sense, both of them did it. "Yeah, Keith's been doing that for years. One of our foster siblings taught him that, right?" Shiro said, and Keith nodded. "Yeah. Micheal did." Lance sat up "Your what siblings?" Keith rolled his eyes "If you remember, me and Shiro are orphans. We were in the system until Shiro was old enough, and were in two or three foster families. We lived in the countryside with one family for a few years, and our dad taught us about the stars and constellations. They had a two kids, the older being John, the younger Micheal. Micheal used to do track and stuff at his school, so he taught me a few tricks." Him and Shiro smiled, remembering the things they did. "Yeah. They were really nice. They were the last family we were in before we went to the orphanage for a few months. Then I was old enough and we were out of the system." Shiro said. "I forget that you guys are orphans a lot, okay? It's not something people talk about a lot." Lance said. I smiled "I thought you would remember. You made Keith cry about it and ended getting in a fight with James too." Lances eyes went wide at the same time that Shiro's narrowed. "Thats right. You know what, Kinkade, you can go. I'm going to help Lance with his sprints some more." I smiled, and left with Keith and James. We could hear Lance complaning about having to do more sprints as we went down the hall, and we all smiled. "Why do I get the feeling that you said that on purpose Kinkade?" Keith asked with a smile, and I shrugged. "I did. I didn't want to do more drills, and Shiro never got to get mad at Lance for being a dick the first week." James smiled "And hopefully he'll be too sore to talk later! Imagine, a dinner without Lance blabbing the entire time." We all laughed and continued down the hall. James and Keith were hand and hand, and they both looked so happy. I smiled to myself.

_They really were perfect for each other._


	55. What Are You Doing For Christmas?

**Its the week before Christmas break, and they're hanging out in the lounge room.**

James POV 

We were all in the lounge room, talking about our plans for Christmas break. Pidge and the rest of the Holts were going to visit their grandparents in South Carolina. Hunk was going to Hawaii with his family, Kinkade was seeing his aunt and uncle, Lance and Veronica were going to Cuba to see their family. And what was I doing? Absolutely positively.. nothing. I would be staying at the Garrison. My dad was moving out, and my mom was getting the house repainted. "-Mes! James! You good buddy?" I shook my head "What?" "Hunk was just asking you what you were doing for Christmas." Keith told me, with a concerned look. I shrugged "I'm not doing anything. My parents are both busy." The others, minus Keith, looked at me weirdly. "What do you man your parents are both busy?" Hunk asked, worried. I sighed. I still hadn't told them about the divorce. Keith took my hand, rubbing it with his thumb. I smiled at him weakly "Thanks Keith. Well, uh, my parents are getting divorced. My dads moving out and my moms getting the house repainted." They stared at me in shock. "Really? Why?" Veronica asked. I shrugged "It just wasn't working anymore. They weren't fighting all the time or anything, but they just weren't happy together anymore." "Whoa man. I had no idea. Why didn't you tell us?" Kinkade asked. "I didn't want to. I-I just.." I stopped for a moment, and Keith looked at me, smiling softly. "It just seems so-so REAL once I do. It-its hard to accept. They never really had any problems, they just weren't happy with each other anymore." Keith leaned on my shoulder, still rubbing the back of my hand. "Thanks Kitten." I whispered. "James, I'm so sorry." Pidge said. "Yeah, me too. I wish we had known." Lance said. "It wasn't relative. And it's okay, I didn't tell you." Kinkade smiled at me "But next time something major happens, tell us." I nodded "Of course. But that's enough sad stuff. Christmas is in a week, what should we do before we leave?" Lance and Hunk smiled "Actually, me and Hunk had an idea. We could bake some cookies and stuff, then hang out in our room." Pidge smiled "That's actually a good idea. I'm proud of you Lance, you've finally had your first good idea." Lance frowned, and the rest of us laughed. 

Except for Keith. I looked at my shoulder, and saw that he had fallen asleep. He was leaning on my shoulder and holding my arm. Kinkade smiled knowingly, while Pidge and Veronica smirked. "So, James, anything else happen to you lately? Involving a certain someone?" Pidge asked. I shook my head "Nope. Nothing else. So, you guys wanna bake then have a party in Hunk and Lance's room, or nah?" "Yeah, sounds good. But are we making the cookies, or is Hunk? Cause I can't cook worth shit." Kinkade said with a smile. Hunk shook his head "No, I'll be helping. I'm sure you're not that bad." I laughed "No, he's being serious. One time, we burned Pop Tarts in the toaster." They laughed "You're not much better. You burned toast. "Kinkade retorted, and I shrugged "I never said that I was good at cooking. I just agreed that you were bad at it." He glared at me, and Veronica said "Well, you'll have to do that without Lance. Cause SOMEONE decided that he was gonna miss a test, so now he has to go do it." Said boy groaned "Really? This sucks!" He continued to complain to no one in particular, while the others planned the party. I'd occasionally offer my input, but I mainly just listened. After a while, I felt Keith stirring on my shoulder.

"Hey Kitten." I whispered, and he grunted in response. "What's happening? What'd I miss?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "Nothing much. You, me, Kinkade, Veronica, Hunk and Pidge are gonna bake cookies then hang out in Hunk and Lance's room before break." "Hmm. Cool." He yawned loudly. I chuckled "Is someone tired?" He nodded "Yeah. Carry me?" I rolled my eyes "Fine. You're such a baby." He raised an eyebrow "Mhm, yeah. But I'm your baby." "Damn straight." I said, and he grinned "Haha. Not." "Ugh. Do you want me to carry you or not?" "Yes please." I stood and picked him up "Hey, Kinkade, I'm gonna take him back to our room. See you guys later. " He nodded "Okay."

I carried Keith to our room bridal style and put him down on my bed. I was about to walk back out, but he grabbed my arm. "No, stay with me." I sighed and laid next to him. he immediately rolled onto my chest, holding me tightly. "Ugh, Keith why?" He smiled at me from his place on my chest "You're warm, and I'm cold." I sighed and wrapped my arms around him. "Griff, are you really okay with your parents splitting? And not having a Christmas?" I sighed "If I'm being honest, no." He sat up, straddling my hips. "Wanna talk about it?" I shrugged "I guess. But what about?" He shrugged "I don't know. How you feel about it? Is it weird? Do you wish that they'd get back together?" I shook my head "No, I don't want them to get back together. In the end, you could kinda see the life draining from them. And how I feel? I don't know." I sat up, and my head was a little lower then Keith's. "I mean, I thought that they were perfect for each other. That it was true love. I-I guess I was wrong. Th-they don't love each other." Without realizing it, I had begun to cry. The tears came quickly now. "And-and, what if now, they hate each other? Wha-what if they don't love me anymore? What if I only see one of them from now on, and-and I-I only see the other ev-every other holiday? I-i-I don't know what's g-going to ha-happen. I-I can't do anything a-about it. I-I ha-hate feeling so helpless!" I was full on crying now, and Keith was hugging me. My tears soaked the back of his shirt as he rubbed my back. "No, James, you'll see them both." I continued crying "Y-you don't kn-know that." "Yes I do. Because they love you. and they'll stay with you." He pulled back and held my face in his hands, staring into my eyes. "They love you James, so much. And so do I. And I know that they'll do anything for you. I know that I'll do anything for you. So don't cry. Don't cry." He smiled at me softly, and wiped the tears from my face. I smiled back, and the tears stopped falling. "James, they'll do anything for you. Just because they don't love each other like that anymore, doesn't mean that they don't love each other at all. They just love each other in a different way now." I smiled and shook my head, while rubbing my eyes. "I can't believe I cried like that. I never cry." Keith smiled at me. "I think its cute." I raised an eyebrow, putting my hands on his waist. "Really? How?" He smiled "Because, you're normally Mr.Tough Guy, never showing any weakness. So when you cry or are show that you're sad, it shows that you trust whoever you're showing them too. And your nose scrunches up like a cats." I rolled my eyes "Gee, thanks. I love being compared to cats." "Well, you do call me Kitten." I smirked "That's right. So, Kitten~, what are you gonna do now that you're in my lap?" He smiled "I don't know. Maybe, this?"

He leaned forward and kissed me. God I loved his lips. They seemed to fit perfectly with mine. They were soft, always slightly chapped, always wanting more. He pulled away, smiling. I smiled back "You know, you might have to do that again." He continued smiling and we leaned in. This kiss was much more, hungry. Demanding. More, it seemed to say, more. We wanted more. His hand found their way to my hair, tugging at it, pulling me closer. My hands found their way to his back, then his ass. I pulled him closer, and he gasped when I squeezed his ass a bit, allowing me to slip my tongue in his mouth. I explored his mouth, kissing him roughly. We eventually pulled away, a string of saliva connecting our mouths, both gasping for breathe. I smiled "You like that." Keith blushed and nodded. "Well, then maybe I'll have to do it again." I was about to lean in for another kiss when I heard a knock on the door. I groaned "Ugh, now?" Keith sighed and got off my lap. Now it felt cold and empty.

I went over to the door and opened it, with an impatient "What?" Shiro was standing there, hand out as if he was abut to knock again. Shit. "Shiro! I'm sorry! I didn't know that it was you." He shrugged "It's okay. The others mentioned that your Christmas situation, had, uh, changed. So me and Adam were wondering if you'd like to stay with us for Christmas. I already called your parents, and they're okay with it. So, do you want to?" I stared at him in shock. Spend Christmas with my boyfriend and his family? Whoa. "Uh, yeah. Yes! that'd be great!" I said, with a smile on my face. Keith walked up behind me "Griff? Who is it?" His eyes went wide when he saw Shiro. "Sh-shiro? What are you doing here." He smiled "I just invited your boyfriend to spend Christmas with us, and he said yes." Keith's eyes went wide and he smiled brightly "Really?" I nodded "Yeah." "Yes!" he said, throwing his arms around me and kissing my cheek. "That'll be great!" Shiro chuckled "And I thought me and Adam were a cute couple. You guys are adorable." I felt my face heat up, and Keith frowned, blushing "Shiro!" He laughed "What? Its true. Anyway, I'll see you guys later." He left, and I closed the door. Keith put his arms around my shoulders, hugging me from behind "I can't believe that you're going to be at my house for Christmas! This is gonna be so much fun! We can make cookies and decorate the tree, and laugh at Shiro singing Christmas carols, and then, when he burns the food, we can get pizza!" I smiled "Slow down Kitten. Breathe. I'm sure that it'll be fun, but now, I just want to sleep." He frowned "Okay. But you're going to love it." I smiled reassuringly 

_"I'm sure I will."_


	56. Cookies and Kisses

This shall be fluffy, because we all need some fluff in these times.❤🧡💛💚💙💜🙂

Kinkade POV

Today, me and the others, minus Lance, would be making cookies with Hunk, and then hanging out in his room afterwards.I walked into the kitchen, expecting it to be all neat and organized, but I was greeted with chaos.

Keith, Pidge, Rizavi and Veronica were on one side of the room, Hunk, James and Ina on the other, divided by a few counters in the middle. All of them were covered in flour and other ingredients. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" I yelled,and they all looked at me. "Kinkade! Join us! We're in a war! Help me get Keith!" James yelled, which got him a glare from his boyfriend "No! Kinkade, help me get James!"he yelled. "No, help me stop them! Iverson is going to kill me!" Hunk yelled. "What even happened?" I asked, and everyone but Keith and Hunk smiled. "Well," Pidge started, "We made the first batch of cookies, and we had flour out. Then JAMES decided it'd be a good idea to slap Keith's ass." "Which got FLOUR ALL OVER my NEW BLACK jeans!" Keith said with a glare at his boyfriend. James smiled "It was to show my appreciation for your jeans. I really like them on you. They make your ass look AMAZING. " Keith smiled, blushing a bit. "Thanks, they were 50% off." James smirked "I'd like them better if they were 100% off." He said with a wink, leaning on one of the counters. Keith turned pink, and the girls went "Ooh!" I rolled my eyes "Come on gays and guys, let's clean this up."

Over the course of the next 20 minutes, we cleaned up the kitchen, and got the cookies out of the oven. "Holy shit, these smell amazing." I said, breathing in the delicious smell of the sweet treats. Hunk smiled "Thanks. It's my mom's recipe." Veronica nodded "He has this HUGE cookbook full of recipes, and they're all SUPER specific." Pidge nodded "Yeah, and there was about a MILLION cookies and dessert recipes. They all sounded so good. I almost started drooling ." Rizavi laughed "Almost? You did!" Everyone laughed. Even Ina. "Yes, and each had the exact measurements in both metric and customary. That made it even more interesting." It was always a treat to hear Ina speak, so when she did, you know that she was excited. James inhaled deeply "God, I can't wait to eat these." "Yeah, but first we have to decorate them. Then, they'll taste even better. Can you wait?" Keith asked, wrapping his arms around James from behind. James sighed "Fineee. But only because you asked." I smiled to myself. If these two wanted to keep their relationship a secret, they'd have to stop being so lovey dovey all the time. "Okay, well can you guys help me get out the stuff to decorate the cookies? The sooner they're decorated, the sooner we can eat them." We began pulling out different frostings and sprinkles from the cabinets, setting them out on the counters. We began frosting the cookies, which were in all different shapes. There were trees, ornaments and stars. We had red, green, yellow and white frosting, and rainbow sprinkles along with a few plain colors. Pidge, Veronica, Rizavi and Ina were at one counter, talking and laughing. It was nice seeing Ina be so social, normally she was really shy and nervous. But there she was, smiling and laughing while decorating cookies. Me, Hunk and the gays were at the other counter. Me and Hunk on one side, James and Keith on the other. 

They were hogging the rainbow sprinkles, and Keith was being very possessive of the red frosting. "Hey, let me have some!" James whined, trying to get the red frosting. Keith smiled and held it out of his reach, smirking. "No. Its mine now. You want some? Come and get it." They continued to fight over it, and all of us stopped what we were doing to watch. They danced around their side of the counter, Keith always holding the frosting just out of James's reach. "Keith! Come on! Just let me have it!" He giggled "No!" Keith's back was now to the counter, and he was leaning back, James leaning over him. James smirked, then leaned down to kiss him on the lips, pulling him closer by the waist with one hand, and grabbing the frosting with the other. He pulled back with a smile "I wanted it. I got it." Keith whined "No fair! You distracted me by kissing me! That's cheating!" James continued smirking "So you didn't like it?" Keith cocked his head and put his hands around James's neck. "Well, I didn't say that..." Then they leaned in for another kiss. They pulled each other closer, Keith by James's hair, James by Keith's waist. He lifted him up onto the counter while groping his ass, and they continued kissing. I heard squealing behind me, and turned to see Pidge and the other girls fangirling. They were jumping up and down, squealing excitedly. Even Ina and Rizavi. Pidge had her phone out and was taking pictures, which probably wouldn't be any good since she was moving around so much. I turned back towards the gays, who were still lip locked. They finally pulled away, breathing heavily. James was smiling, and I assumed Keith was too. James looked over his shoulder, and his face went light pink.

"Well, I guess now they know." Keith turned his head, and once he saw us, he went red and he sighed. "I guess the secrets out." "Hold up. What secret?" Pidge asked. Keith sighed and hopped off the counter, walking towards the others, James in tow. "Me and James are dating. We have been since we went to Cornyval together." Pidge, Veronica and Rizavi stared in disbelief. Hunk smiled brightly, and Ina had a small smile on her face. "I knew it. And I'm guessing Kinkade did too, considering his reaction." Ina said. I nodded "Guilty. I've known since Halloween." Pidge started squealing again "Oh my god really?! YES!!! MY SHIP HAS SAILED!" "YOU GUYS FINALLY TOLD EACH OTHER! TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!" Veronica said, and Rizavi nodded enthusiastically "I know right? It was SO obvious that you guys liked each other!" James and Keith both went red when they said this. "So, have you guys fucked yet?" Pidge asked, and both of them got even redder, if that was even possible. "PIDGE! NO! WHY WOULD YOU-? HOW COULD YOU-? WHAT IS YOUR-?" They started yelling at her, both embarrassed and angry. 

"Guys, guys, calm down. Its Pidge. You should've know that that'd be one of the first things she'd ask." I said, trying to calm them down. "Yeah, that's why we didn't want to tell her!" Keith said, still red. James sighed "Why Pidge? Why?" She just shrugged innocently. "Can you blame her? You guys would go on endless rants about each other to us for the past few YEARS. On and on about Keith's violet eyes that look like galaxies, about James's golden brown eyes, about Keith's ass, how James made you laugh, again with Keith's ass. Over and over again, making us promise left and right not to do anything. But it was SO worth it. You guys are so cute together!" Veronica said, squealing a bit on the last part.

Keith looked at James over his shoulder "You really talked that much about me?" James smiled "It was hard not to." "I bet that's not the only thing that's hard" Ina said quietly. The rest of us stared at her in shock. She had talked,and she had made a joke. "Wow Ina. Wow. I don't think Pidge and Veronica are a good influence on you." I said, and she shrugged, smiling. "Well, now that we've established that Jaith/Jeith is confirmed, can we eat the cookies now?" Hunk said, and we all nodded in agreement. We attacked the cookies, grabbing the ones we had decorated. We left a few undecorated for Shiro, Adam and the Holts. We put them in a bag and ran to Hunk's room, immediately flopping on the floor and passing out the cookies. Ina and Veronica's had meticulous detail, each tree had sprinkle ornaments and stars. Hunks were works of art, looking like they were works of art. Me, Pidge and Rizavi's were just covered in frosting and sprinkles, trying to put as much sugar in them as possible. James and Keith's were almost all rainbow sprinkles, with a bit of frosting peeking out. Then Keith had a few that were completely covered in red frosting. "Wow Keith, who murdered your cookies?" Hunk asked from his spot on his bed. I was next to him, Ina, Pidge, Veronica and Rizavi were on the floor around the bottom of the bed, and Keith was sitting in James's lap, who was also on the floor. "No one. But Christmas is red, so are my cookies." Hunk shrugged and continued eating his cookies "Wait, so we know you guys started dating when you went to Cornyval, but what happened? How did you guys confess to each other?" Rizavi asked with a mouthful of cookie. Keith smiled and James went red "Do you want to tell them, or should I?" Keith asked, and James groaned. "You do it." Keith smiled and began telling us the story.

"Well, me, Shiro and Adam met him and his parents at Cornyval, but he wasn't there. Then he walked up behind me and hugged me. Then all the adult were giving us weird looks,and Shiro said something, and we left them. We were walking around when he said, "Kitten,", yes he called me Kitten, "Do you like me?". Then we had this whole tall and he asked me to be his boyfriend. We went on some rides, got some food. The guy said we made a cute couple like, the second he saw us. He threw away my soda and I got .ad, and we argued until we got to where the others were." "It was empty! Completely empty!" James interrupted, which got him an elbow in the ribs. "No it wasn't, shut up! Anyway, they saw us and his dad started asking when we'd get married, who was gonna wear a dress, and al that shit. He got mad and we left, then we got some matching rings." "You guys have matching rings? REALLY? Where? Show us!" Veronica said excitedly. James pulled a chain out of his shirt and Keith held out his hand. Keith had two rings, one black, the other the silver one James gave him for his birthday. "Ooh! Those ate nice! How didn't we notice those? You've been wearing them for months!" Pidge said. Keith shrugged "Because you don't stare at my hands. Anyway, apparently SOMEONE talks about my eyes a LOT, and his dad mentioned it. When we got back to them they were all happy and talking bout how cut we were. Then Shiro grilled him, asking "What are your intentions with my brother?" And death staring him, and he said-" 

James cut him off "Mr.Kogane, I intend on dating your brother as long as he likes, and if our relationship goes past high school and into the college years, I'd like to marry him. I'd like to have a relationship with him similar to the one that you and Adam have, built on trust and affection." He was shocked, then I said "I can honestly say that I love your brother and never want to see him suffer. His smile brightens my world, and he has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. Keith was blushing a lot and it was adorable" They were both blushing now "and my dad was proud. Shiro was surprised, but happy. Then Keith told me he really liked me and had since the day we met, and thanked me for standing up to Lance the first week. My mom said more wedding stuff and I got mad and we left." "Yeah, she mentioned something about your previous crush, but nothing else. Then we went on some rides, and I kicked his ass at darts." Keith interjected "Then I kicked your ass at a shooting games, and we went on the ferris wheel." "Yeah, then on the way back, Shiro played the song "Boyfriend" by Big Time Rush and blackmailed me into singing with him." Keith said with a shudder. 

"Wait, 1. You remember EXACTLY what you said? 2. You said that in front of SHIRO?" Rizavi screeched. James blushed and nodded. "And you told him you loved him your first date?" Veronica questioned, and he nodded. "But I'm guessing you didn't say it to each other until later date." Ina stated, and they nodded again. "On my birthday, after you guys left, went outside and he told me he loved me, and I told him I loved him too." Keith said, pink faced. "And then you kissed?" I asked, already knowing the answer. They both blushed and nodded. "Oh my gosh you guys are so cute! Can I be at the wedding? Is Kinkade gonna be your best man?" Hunk said. "Ooh! Can I be the maid of honor?" Pidge asked "No! I wanna be the maid of honor!" Veronica said. James had buried his face in Keith's neck, who's face was in his hands. "GUYS! Stop!" Keith screeched. "THIS, this is why we didn't tell you!" James said, bringing his head up. We laughed at he and Keith expressions. They looked both pained, annoyed, uncomfortable and embarrassed all at the same time. James sighed "That's it, I'm taking what's mine and leaving." He stood up, grabbed him and Keith's bags of cookies, then he turned and 

PICKED UP KEITH, bridal style, and he started blushing. "Later guys." James said, walking out. Me and the others looked at each other for a second, then burst out laughing. "Oh my god, they are so getting married someday." Pidge said after she finished laughing. "Yeah. But when?" Hunk asked. Veronica smiled "20 bucks they're engaged by the end of their time at the Garrison." "25 they fuck this year." Pidge said "Ew, Pidge, no. 30 they get married by 20." Razavi said, Ina nodding in agreement. I smirked "50 they get married and bang by 25. And get engaged at Shiro and Adam's wedding." I said. Pidge narrowed her eyes at me. "Hmm. Deal." Veronica sighed "Fine. I'm with Pidge though. If they're anything like they were in the kitchen alone, they might have already banged." I shook my head "You guys are gonna be wrong. And then each of you will owe me 50 bucks." "I doubt it." Hunk said. I smiled 

"I'll be right. Just you watch."

Because we don't see him smile enough 


	57. Trucks and Tickets

Adam POV

The Friday before break me an Shiro had to wake up Keith and James, who were cuddling on James's bed. "Holy shit Adam. Look at them. They're so cute!" I chuckled "I know Shiro, but if we want to go to that place we have to wake them up." My fiance sighed "Fine. But not before I get a picture." He pulled his phone out and snapped a few pictures. "Okay, now we can wake them up. But how?" I smiled, getting an evil idea. "Watch. OH MY GOD KEITH KOGANE ARE THOSE HICKIES? YOU'RE TOO YOUNG FOR THAT!" both of the boys immediately woke up. "What? What the hell Adam?" James said, rubbing his eyes. Keith just groaned and rolled over. "Nooo. Five more minutes." Shiro smiled "Okay, but that's five less minutes you have to cover those hickies." Keith sat up, putting a hand on his neck "WHAT? Where? James do you see any?" James sat up and shook his head, still rubbing his eyes "There aren't any. Yet." he said with a smirk. Keith blushed lightly. "Yeah, and no more fake one." I said with a smile. James nodded "Sure thing." he stood and stretched "I'm gonna go change." Keith nodded and James kissed his head. When James got into the bathroom, Keith glared at us. "Not. A. Word. Or I'll show Matt the pic of you guys after Adam's birthday." Oh I remembered that. I couldn't walk for two days.

I put my hands up "Whoa, no need for threats." Shrio leaned forward, putting his chin on my shoulder "But you guys are cute." Keith rolled his eyes and got up. He got clothes and walked up to the door at the exact moment James walked out. He kissed him on the cheek on his way in, and James smiled. He walked towards Shiro "Can you delete the pictures?" "What? What pictures?" Shiro asked, and James rolled his eyes. "I'm a light sleeper. I heard you guys. Can you?" Shrio shrugged and pulled out his phone. "Done. So, are you guys ready to go?" James nodded, going over to the beds. He pulled two bags out from Keith's bunk and dropped them on the floor. "Yeah, we packed them last night. And Hunk said to tell you guys that he left you some cookies in the kitchen. But don't get your hopes up, he also did the same for Matt and Iverson, so there might not be any more." I sighed "So we probably do't get any cookies? That sucks. Hunk makes the best sweets." "Yeah, probably not, but we still have some left over." Keith said, walking out of the bathroom. Him and James were in almost completely opposite outfits. Keith had black skinny jeans and a plain red short sleeve shirt, while James had blue skinny jeans and a white NASA shirt. James nodded "Yeah, and we could always just make some more. Keith mentioned that you guys make cookies, then Shiro burns the food and you get pizza." Shiro glared at Keith "I don't always burn food." He rolled his eyes "You burned toast." James laughed "You have? Dude, me too." Shiro smirked "Really? See Keith? Even your boyfriend is a bad cook." "One, he gets an excuse because he's cute." "Aw, thanks." "No problem. Two, you're an adult and we're teens. You have more experience. And you admitted to being a bad cook." Keith finished with a smirk. "Ohh, sorry Takashi, he got you there." Shiro pouted "Why you bully me?" I sighed "Let's go. We have things to do, places to be." "I have people to do." Shiro whispered. We walked out of the room and I shook my head "No. We have a guest. And Keith will be there." "Fine." We got out of the Garrison and into the truck. When Shiro started the car James asked "So you said we have places to be. Like, plural. Where else are we going?" I turned and smiled at him "It's a surprise." He shrugged and leaned his head on the window. Keith was already asleep on his shoulder, and as we continued to drive, he fell asleep not too soon after. 

"So.." Shiro said, breaking the silence. "About Kerberos." Now I was worried "What about it?" "Well, they're moving the launch up a few months." "How far?" "It's in April. The 10th. A few days after Pidge's birthday." I looked at him in disbelief "What? It was supposed to be in August. Why'd they move it?" He shrugged "I don't really know. But Sanda told me yesterday. But we still get the same training, we just have less time. And really we just needed the extra time in case we weren't physically fit enough." I smiled "Well, you shouldn't have a problem with that." He smiled back "Thanks. But yeah, and I asked Mr.Holt about it, he said that we'd be perfectly safe. And if all goes well, I'll be back in time for New years." I nodded, thinking. That means that he would miss Keith's birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. "Adam? Babe? You okay?" I nodded "Yeah. Yeah. I just, you'll miss so much." He sighed "I know. And I hate that. But, if thats what I have to do, thats what I have to do." "But what if you guys meet some aliens? You don't know what can happen that deep in space." He smiled "Then we be nice and diplomatic. But I doubt that we'll meet and aliens. I'm not even sure that they exist in our solar system." I gasped "Shiro! how could you? Don't say that where Keith can here you. You know how much he likes space stuff, even if it might be fake." He shrugged "I don't think he can hear me. He's out cold. Both of them are." I looked in the back, and he was right. Both boys were out cold. 

He pulled into a parking lot "But they won't be any more. Time to wake the beasts." We parked and got out. I opened the door on Keith's side and started poking him. "Keith. Keith. Keith, wake up." I started shaking him, but he just groaned and moved. "Move aside. I got this." Shiro said. I moved, and he started poking James. "Griffin, get up. you need to wake up your boyfriend." James grumbled a bit but opened his eyes. "Oh hey. Are we here?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. I nodded "Yeah. Can you wake Keith up?" He nodded "Sure." Then, he picked Keith up bridal style and jumped out of the truck, which jolted him awake. "Shit! What the- James!" Keith whined. James just smiled "You're awake now. Come on, Adam says we're here." He set him down, and Keith rubbed his eyes, grumbling.But the second he saw the building, his eyes lit up. "Peter Piper's Pizza! YES!" James gave him a questioning look "Is this the place you told me about? With the swords and tickets?" Keith jumped up and down "Yes! Come on!" he grabbed James's hand and they ran towards the entrance. As we watched them run, I saw a faint white handprint on Keith's ass. "Shiro, do you see the print?" He nodded "Yeah. He probably wasn't happy about that." We walked over to the boys, who were staring excitedly inside the building.

"Hey Keith, what's that stuff on your butt?" Shiro asked, and Keith went pink, "We made cookies with the others yesterday, and SOMEONE decided to slap my ass with flour all over his hands." James just smiled "Can you blame me?" Keith blushed more and punched his arm "Shut up." I chuckled "Come on, lets get inside."

We walked in, and Jordan greeted us. "Hey guys! How you been?" I shrugged "Good. You?" He smiled "I'm great. Who's this?" he asked, motioning to James, who smiled "I'm James. And you are?" "Ohh, I like this kid. Very polite. I'm Jordan, the resident manager. Let me guess, you're Keith's boyfriend?" James and Keith both blushed, and he nodded. "Jordan!" Keith whined, and Jordan just laughed. "What? You guys aren't exactly the quietest talkers, and you were rambling about him forever." Keith turned even redder "Jordan! Stop!" James laughed and out his arm around Keith's shoulders "So you talk about me a lot? What exactly do you say?" "Oh, he had this whole thing about your eyes and smile. He talked for what, and hour?" Shiro asked me, and I shrugged "Yeah, and that's just the one time we were here. That's not counting the times in the car, at the store, at home.." Keith glared at us "STOP! Oh my GOD!" He said, covering his face with his hands. "Kill me now." James shook his head "Nope. You're stuck with me." I handed them some money "Here, you guys go get us some tokens." They nodded and left. "So, am I going to be invited to the wedding?" Jordan asked. I laughed "You know, you're not the only one who thinks that. But of course." He smiled "Great." we paid for our food and entry, then went to find the boys. "At this rate, they might be engaged before we get married." Shiro joked. "Oh no. But I'm willing to bet that James will propose at our wedding." Shiro gasped "Imagine! That'd be so cool!"

James and Keith ran up to us "Hey, we got the tokens. Food or games first?" I shrugged "Shiro?" He smiled "Well, we have buffet, so we can eat, then play, then eat again." "Alright. So lets go." We got our food, and destroyed the buffet, then went on to games. Keith and James decided to have a contest on who could win the most games. They played Skee-ball, shooting games, basketball, almost all of them. Whenever it looked like James was going to win, Keith would poke him or hug him, distracting him. Once James figured out that's what he was doing, he started kissing Keith's cheek or calling him cute, which got him both flustered and distracted. In the end, they were tied, and gave up on the competition. "They're so in love." I said, and Shiro nodded. "Yeah. We weren't like that, were we? Obnoxiously cute all the time?" "I wouldn't know. We can ask Matt when we get back." He smiled "If we do, he'll start pulling out video and photo evidence. And he'll show Keith and Pidge, who'll never let us live it down." I nodded "That's true." 

When we eventually ran out of tokens, we had around 60,000 and had wasted about 100 dollars on tokens. We loaded up on candy and useless crap that we would lose or break within a month, and went to the car. The others were all eating AirHead Extremes and other candy while I held my stuffed animal. It was a lion, but instead of being yellow, it was white and black. It looked kinda weird with the other animal, which were all normal colors, but I liked it. "Alright, we're gonna head home now, then we'll probably start decorating the tree. that sound good?" Shiro said, and I nodded "Hey, James, could you help us get the decorations out of the attic?" "Of course. What kinds do you guys have?" Now I was confused. there's only one kinds of Christmas decorations. "What do you mean?" "Well, my grandma had some that were like, super delicate and glass, but me and my parents had plastic ones. If I drop something, it's not going to break, is it?" I chuckled and shook my head. He sounded like he was worried he'd mess up. "Oh no. Almost all of it's from Walmart. Nothing fragile." "Except for the star. If you drop it, the wiring inside gets messed up and then you have to open it and redo it." Shiro interjected. Keith laughed "Yeah, you know that because you did it last year. And the year before. And the year before that. And..you've broken it every year? How does it still work?" I shrugged "I don't know. It just does." James smiled "So, let me get this straight-" "Haha, not." Keith interrupted. "Well, yeah, so Shiro can't cook, he's clumsy, and Keith's a better pilot than him?" Me, him and Keith started cracking up, and Shiro frowned. "Hey, not fair. And Keith only beat me a few times." "A day. Pidge and Matt made bonus levels for him." Shiro glared at me while Keith and James laughed.We spent the rest of the ride making fun of Shiro, telling James about his failed cooking experiences. "Hey, did we clean the house before we left last time?" I asked Shiro, and his eyes went wide. "Shit. We didn't." "Fuck. Okay. Umm, Keith, James, when we get there can you take the stuff inside?" James nodded "Yeah, sure." Keith shrugged.

When we got home, me and Shiro ran inside and began speed cleaning the house. We straightened the furniture, wiped dust off the counters, and put towels in the bathroom. James and Keith walked in, bags and prizes in hand. "So where do I put this?" James asked, holding up his stuff. "You'll be staying in Keith's room, he'll show you which one it is." Shiro held up a hand "Hold up. So they're going to be sharing a bed? I don't like the sound of that." Keith groaned "Shiro, don't go into dad mode. we'll be fine." "Yeah, and it's not like they sleep in separate beds at the Garrison. They're 16. They're not going to do anything." Shiro frowned "I still don't like that." James sighed "Shiro, we've shared a room for three years, at school, without you guys right next to us. We'll be fine here. I promise not to do anything." Shiro sighed "fine. But if you do, use protection." James smiled "I'd say the same to you. Try not to be to loud." Him and Keith laughed, and Shiro's jaw dropped. Then him and Keith walked out of the living room to his room. Shiro stared at them in shock. I smiled "You know, I'm liking him more and more. He'll be a good son-in-law." "I-i can't, he-he just. Wow. Just, wow." I shook my head "Come on. We still have to get the decorations and tree down."


	58. Tree Time

Keith POV

"I can't believe you said that! And the looks on their faces!" I said, and James smiled. "I figured if Shiro can say messed up stuff, I can too. Is he really that bad a cook?" He asked, putting his stuff on the floor. "Oh god, yeah he is. We always end up ordering pizza or something, every holiday." "Then why doesn't Adam cook?" I shrugged "I don't know. It's always been Shiro's thing. In our foster homes, he always wanted to help with it. He was never very good, but he likes helping." I said, shoving some clothes in my drawers. "Well, wouldn't he be helping our health by not cooking?" I laughed "Yeah. But he remembers him and our dad cooking. According to him, neither of them were very good at it." James nodded "So it makes him feel closer to him?" "I guess. I don't really remember him. Just little bits and pieces." "That sucks." I shrugged "There's really nothing I can do about it. If I want to know about him , I just ask Shiro, and that makes him happy. It works." He nodded "Okay." We heard a loud bang and some muffled cursing. "Do they need help?" I shook my head "It's the tree. But we should probably get out there before Shiro thinks we're doing something." James smirked "Like each other?" I blushed a bit and nodded "Yeah. Come on." 

When we got to the living room, Shiro and Adam had already taken out the tree and a few boxes of decorations. Adam smiled when he saw us "Ah! There you guys are. Can you help Shiro with the ornaments? Thanks." We went up the ladder to the attic, and after making a few trips, had all the decorations and ornaments in the living room. "Wow. You guys have a lot of stuff for Christmas." James said. "Well, not all of it's for Christmas. Some of its stuff we need to go through, like old clothes and papers." Shiro said, setting down his last box. "We have some stuff here that Keith had when he was a baby." My eyes widened "Shit. Shiro do not show him that." James smiled "Why not? I bet you were an adorable baby. I mean, look at you now." I blushed a bit "I mean, I was, but some of it's embarrassing." "Well now I have to see." Shiro had opened the box and help up a picture "Found one! I love this one." James ran over to him. "Shiro! NO!" James sand Shiro started laughing "Holy shit." "Here's another." "Oh my god. Babe, you were adorable." James said, turning his head towards me. I walked over to them "No, nope, not happening." I said, trying to grab some of the pictures, but Shiro held them over his head, and James grabbed a few and tried to run away. 

"Oh no you don't." I chased him around the living room a few times, and down the hall to the bedrooms, then back to the living room. As he ran past the couch, I jumped and tackled him "Haha! I got you. And I'll take that." I said, taking the pictures. James rolled over "Fuck, that hurt." I smirked "Serves you right." He looked at our position. I was straddling his hips, and he was flat on his back. He smirked "Shouldn't this be the other way around?" My eyes went wide and my face heated up. "James!" Shiro and Adam laughed, and James took my distraction to his advantage. He somehow flipped me over so that I was on the ground and he was above me. "There. That's better." I covered my face with my hands. I knew by them I was bright red "James! Why?" "Because." "Ugh, I hate you." "No, you love me." I uncovered my face "Well, that is true." He smiled "I know." Then he leaned down to kiss me. I let go of the pictures and weaved my hand in his hair. He propped himself above me, leaning on his forearms. "Ahem." I heard someone say. FUCK. I forgot that Shiro and Adam were here. They were staring at us with grins on their faces. Shiro put his arm around Adam's shoulder "They make us look straight." Adam laughed "You'd think they were the ones getting married." James groaned and stood "Are you guys gonna be like this the whole time?" He held a hand out to me and helped me up. Adam shrugged "Maybe. Are you guys gonna like that the whole time?" I smiled "Maybe." Shiro rolled his eyes "Oh my god." "Come on, lets decorate the tree." Adam said. 

We spent the next hour or so decorating the tree. We sang Christmas songs while we did it, like Jingle Bells and Frosty the snowman. Shiro and James kept addding voice cracks and laughing. First came the lights, then the ribbon, then the ornaments. The ornaments took the longest, since we had about a million of them. When we were done, the tree was completely covered in ornaments, and we were all covered in glitter. It was all over the ribbon and some of the decorations, and it got EVERYWHERE. "I feel like a Disney character. I'm covered in glitter and I've been singing." James said with a smile. "Haha! Yeah! And we're not even sone yet. We still have the lights and in house decorations. I sighed and flopped down on the couch "Ugh, more decorating? Can't we stop for today?" Adam sighed "Yeah, I'm with Keith. And light are something we should be fully conscious for." "But the roofs not even that high!" Shiro whined. James fell down next to me "I'm with them. And I want to see more baby pictures of Keith." I glared at my boyfriend, and Shiro smiled.

"Actually, that's a great idea."


	59. Baby Pics

James POV 

Shiro went to the baby box and pulled out a photo album. "Oh no!" Keith groaned. He fell into my lap, covering his face with his hands. "What? How bad can they be?" "You haven't seen them. And there's a lot of them." Shiro sat next to me "Yeah. And he can't get back at me because I hid all of mine." He opened the book and started flipping through the pages. "Where is it, I know its here somewhere." He muttered. Keith groaned and sat up "No Shiro, not that one." We readjusted so that he was sitting comfortably in my lap, and my arms were around him. "Aha! I found it! Look!" Shiro showed me the picture, and I burst out laughing. "Oh god, that's adorable!" "Look at him! I think we still have that somewhere." Adam said. "You guys have to show me more. Where's my phone? I need proof of this or Kinkade will never believe me." "No! It's bad enough that you're seeing them, they're not seeing them too!" Keith said, moving around in my lap. "Wha-hey!" I said as he pulled my phone out of my pocket. "Nope. Not happening." He put the phone between his legs right up against his crotch. "No pictures of the pictures." I pouted "Boo." Shiro continued flipping through the book. 

"Oh, this one! He sang the entire song when he was like two! Or three. One of the two." "Oh god. Do you have a video?" Adam shook his head "No. Its one of those spontaneous things little kids do, and by the time you think to record it, its already over. Oh, show him the hide and seek one." Keith slumped down in my lap "Oh god. I'm leaving." He got up and stormed off to his room. "What hide and seek one?" Shiro laughed "I almost forgot about those! Me and Keith were playing hide and seek at one of our first foster homes, and they took some pictures. Look."

I laughed "Oh my god. He was adorable." "Yeah. We had some more, but he hid them. Which sucks, cause they were the best ones." Adam said with a smile. Shiro stood and stretched "Well, I'm gonna go order dinner. James can you get the emo?" I shrugged "Sure." I went to Keith's room and found him lying on the bed covered in blankets "Keith, Shiro said it's dinner time." I heard a muffled "No." come from the pile. "Keith, come on." "No." I sighed and sat on the bed. "Keith?" "No." "Babe?" "No." I started poking him "Babe, come on." "No." "Keith." "Noo!" I started tickling him "Come on Kitten." Muffled giggles came from the blanket. "James, stop!" "Nope. Come on Kitten, it's time for dinner." "No!" I sighed, and pulled back the blanket. "Yes." He grabbed the blanket and covered himself again "No!" I pulled back the blanket again and grabbed him. "Yes." I said "And give me back my phone." He squirmed in my grip "No!" I smiled and pulled him into a kiss. When I pulled back he was red, and I was smiling "Yes." He sighed "Fine." He pulled my phone out from him back pocket and got up. "But no more baby photos." I nodded "No more photos. Now come on, I'm hungry." "We ate less than three hours ago." I raised an eyebrow "So you're not hungry?" "No, I am." We left the room, and when we got to the kitchen, Shiro was hanging up the phone. "Hey, you got him out! Nice. Well, we're having pizza." He opened a cabinet "In the meantime, who wants a drink?" "Ooh, me!" Keith said."But we're underage." Shiro pulled down a few bottles "Oh don't worry, yours will be like, 99% coke and a bit of beer. And it's not even that strong." Adam nodded "Yeah, its safe. But you my live, can't have any." Shiro pouted "Why not?" Adam wrapped his arms around him "Because, you're going to space in four months." Keith head whipped up "Four months? I though you didn't go until August?" "Well, they decided to move it up. We should be back in a year, year and a half." I could see the pain in Keith's eyes "But-but you'll miss my birthday. And Adam's. And Christmas. A year and a half? A YEAR AND A HALF? WHY?" Keith yelled. Shiro just stayed blank faced "Keith, I have to do this. Me and Adam already talked about it. I can't control it. But hopefully, with this new launch date, I'll be back in time for you 18th birthday. If I were to leave in August like originally planned, I would miss two birthdays for each of you." "Fine." Keith growled. He stormed off to his room. "So..should I go get him?" i asked, and Adam shook his head "No, he needs time to be with his thoughts. He'll come out when the food is here." "Of the closet or his room?" Shiro deadpanned, and we laughed. "But you seriously don't know why they moved it?" Shiro shook his head "No, Sanda just told me. But his reaction will be nothing likes Pidge's. It a few day after her birthday, and its her dad and brother. " "Shit. She's gonna be pissed." Adam nodded "Yeah. And there's also the risk of them not coming back. And, Keith and Shiro already lost their parents. Imagine what would happen to him if he lost Shiro too." Shiro held Adam's hand "But that's not going to happen. I'm coming back to you guys. I promise." "Takashi, don't make promises you can't keep." "No, I'm going to keep this promise. No matter how long it takes, I'm coming back to you." Adam nodded, and Shrio pulled him into a hug. I had totally forgotten about Kerberos until now. Keith would be crushed if he lost Shiro.

Dinner was awkward and tense, but afterwards it was fun. Shiro got a bit tipsy, and started using cheesy pick up lines on Adam. "Are you from Tennessee? Cause you're the only 10 I see." This caused Adam to blush, and not to long after, he took him to their room. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked. Keith had been pretty quiet the whole time, and he had barely eaten. He nodded "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. I'm going to bed." As I watched him walk away, I sighed. I knew he was lying, he just didn't want to tell me. He would, eventually, and I'd be there for him when he was ready. Until then, I'd wait.

AN

Sorry if the chapters lately haven't been the best quality lately. I have plans for the big parts, but the inbetween have been improvised and touch and go. There will also be several chapters at the end with all the images used in the story

*none of the art used in this is mine, all of it's from Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest and Twitter*


	60. Light'em up

Keith POV 

I laid in bed with James, thinking. He had long since fallen asleep, his arms wrapped around me. I had totally forgotten about the mission. And the risk of Shiro not coming back. But I couldn't tell them that. Him and Adam would baby me for the next four months, and avoid the subject. And James, I loved him, and I didn't want to hurt him. I'd open up to him even more than Shiro and Adam, and I'd probably take my frustrations out in him. Whenever I thought about Kerberos, I wanted to laugh, to scream, to yell, to cry, to hit something. And I didn't want that something to be him. James was one of the best things that ever happened to me, and I couldn't risk damaging our relationship. I took a shakey breath. I had to stay calm. As looked at the sleeping boy next to me, and I realized, it'd be okay. Shiro had promised that he'd come back, and while he was gone, I'd have James and Adam. It was only a year and a half. Then Shiro would come back, and him and Adam would get married. I'd continue at the Garrison, and maybe, someday, me and James, and the others, would go to space. Together. I sighed and snuggled into James's chest. It'd be alright. I'd be alright.

NEXT MORNING 

The sun shone in the window, and I groaned. The downside to being in Texas, it was almost always sunny. I looked to my side and saw that James wasn't there. He must have already gotten up. I stood and stretched, and went to the kitchen. Shiro and James were sitting on the couch watching TV. Adam was in the kitchen, doing something on the stove. He smiled when he saw me "Hey Keith! You must've been really tired! Its almost 11!" I smiled "Hey Adam. Yeah, I guess I was." He handed me a plate with some eggs on it "Here. Eat up. Its breakfast , or lunch, whatever. Its food." I smiled and sat on the couch next to James. He put his arm around me and kissed my forehead. "Hey baby. You good? You were up pretty late last night." I shoved some food in my mouth and shrugged "Couldn't sleep." "Hey, manners bro. And what do you mean?" Shiro said, raising an eyebrow. "I couldn't fall asleep. Nothing else." "You sure?" James asked in a concerned tone, and I nodded. "Yeah. Now shut up, I wanna hear this." The TV was playing some Netflix show,and it looked really interesting.

We spent the next few hours binge watching Netflix and eating junk food. Around four, Shiro said "Hey, should we put the lights up?" I shook my head "Nah, not right now. It's too hot." "Hot damm." James said with a smile, and Shiro did too. "Call the police and the fireman." We looked at Adam expectedly. He sighed "I'm too hot." "HOT DAMN!" Me, James and Shiro yelled, and we all laughed. "But seriously, when are we doing the lights? If we don't do it today, it ain't happening." Shiro said, and Adam shrugged. "Well then let's do it. We have time, and Christmas is in four days. And we still need to do presents and cookies." "Ooh, don't forget the traditional burning of the food." I said with a smirk. Shiro glared at me and the others laughed. "Oh yeah, we can't forget that. And then there's the traditional fast food order. I'm thinking.... pizza this year?" Adam said with a smile. "Rude." Shiro grumbled. Adam rolled his eyes "Come on, stop pouting. Let's get the lights."

We spent the next three hours in the sweltering heat of the mid-day Texas sun, plastering lights all over the house. It took forever because Adam insisted that it be _just right_ , and Shiro kept changing his mind about what lights to use. James tried to help, but all but gave up when Shiro, when we were almost done with the house, decided to change the lights. AGAIN. I mean, seriously, what's the difference between white and icicle? They both look the same! When Shiro and Adam were finally satisfied, we went inside, and I fell onto the couch. "UUGHH! I'm tired." James just fell on the floor on his back. He laid there, silently, staring at the ceiling. Shiro laughed "You good James?" "Too hot." Adam smiled "Hot damn." I flipped him off "No."I sat up "And why didn't you help?" Adam shrugged and smirked "I was supervising."Shiro smiled and sat in the chair "Yeah, and it wasn't that bad outside today. It's only 80 degrees." "But we were out in the sun for THREE HOURS." James said from his spot on the floor. "Don't worry. It won't be nearly as hot as tomorrow. Besides, now the lights are done, and we can relax and be lazy for the next day or so." "Buh buh buh. We still have to bake and do presents." Adam said. James got up and stretched "Okay. So what, we go in duos and buy stuff? I'm like, almost broke." "Yeah, me too." I agreed, and Adam sighed. "It's not like we're gonna have a Grinch Christmas. But everyone needs at least one gift. And you can make it. Its the thought that counts." I raised an eyebrow"So if I think about getting you a present, but I don't, it still counts, right? It's still a thought."I deadpanned, and Adam rolled his eyes "No Keith. That doesn't count. Thoughts are not a gift." "Thots be gone." Shrio said with a smile. "Shut up."' I said with a glare.

"But yes, ideally, we'll go in pairs. I'll take you tomorrow James, and Shiro, after we get back, you can take Keith." Shiro nodded "Okay." he smiled evily "And I know exactly what I'm going to give to everyone." Adam glared at him "If you wouldn't open it with Mr. and Mrs.Holt around, you can't get it." Shiro frowned "Buzzkill." "And the gifts can't do that." James said with a smirk, and me and Adam laughed. Shiro rolled his eyes "Fine. I'm gonna go shower." H stood and left, and James soon followed "Yeah, me too. Don't use all the hot water." Shiro nodded "Of course not." 

It was kinda weird. Him and Adam fit so naturally into me and Shiro's dynamic. Same senses of humor, same jokes, same attitude. They made the house seem, fuller, almost. They just clicked. I thought that'd it be super weird, like at Cornyval, but surprisingly, it wasn't. They were both pretty normal, and hadn't done anything that said they'd want to hurt one another. It was like we were all different pieces of a puzzles. we fit well together in paris, but as a whole, we were much better. "In deep thought?" Adam said, and I almost jumped. "Shit. I forgot you were there." He smiled and sat next to me "I know. But it's fun scaring you. So, whatcha thinking about?" I shook my head "Lots of things. But mainly how weird all of this is." He gave me a questioning look "What do you mean?" "I- its just weird, you know? I mean, first, it was me and Shiro. Then you came along, but almost nothing changed. I was all still, I don't know, normal. I thought it'd be weird at first, with you first moving in. But it wasn't. And I thought that this was going to be a super long and awkward week, with Shiro giving James the dad looks, and you giving his the dad lectures. But its not weird. Its like, we all fit together. You can add or take away someone, and we're still fine, but together, we're at our greatest." Adam nodded "I know what you mean. And I expected that from Shiro too. Speaking of dad, I seem to recall you saying that you'd start calling me and Shiro that." I smiled "Yeah, thats probably not happening." He sighed "I figured. It sounded really sweet at first, but then, as I thought about it, it just seemed weird." I nodded "Yeah. Its one of those "in the moment" kind of things." "Yeah. And I get what you mean when you say that it, this" he gestured around us "Seems weird, and all that. I really do. But I also can't explain it. Some people work well together. Some people don't. Its just how life is." I smiled at him "Thanks Adam." I said, hugging him "No problem." He pulled back "Now go shower. You reek." I nodded "Yeah, I do. That's why I hugged you." He glared at me "Keith! Why?" I smiled and went to my room. Adam was right. Some people work really well together, some people don't. Its a just a fact of life. And me and James worked really well together.


	61. Shopping and Shots

Adam POV 

This morning I woke up to the sound of screaming. I shot up and ran to the kitchen and started laughing the second I saw it. Shiro was holding Keith and James upside down, one in each arm, legs on his shoulders. "SHIRO WHAT THE FUCK! PUT ME DOWN!" Keith screamed. "SHIRO WHY?" James yelled after him, and Shiro just laughed. "What? Its funny." Keith started trying to punch him "I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T PUT ME DOWN I'LL-" "You'll what? I have the power." Shiro said with a smile, and he started shaking the boys. "How the hell are you doing this?" James asked. He had accepted his fate and was just hanging, trying not to be hit by his thrashing boyfriend . "You're not that strong, are you?" Keith continued hitting Shiro while he laughed. "SHIRO PUT ME THE FUCK DOWN!" He yelled "OR I WILL FIND YOUR DIARY!"Me and James's eyebrows shot up, and Shiro dropped both of them. "Ow! What the fuck?" James said, rubbing his head. "Sorry." Shiro said,then he smiled smugly at Keith"Can't do that lil bro. I burned it." Keith just smiled "But you admit that you had one." Shiro's eyes went wide and he glared at Keith "Fuck you." He growled, and James smiled "Actually that's my job. You can have Adam." Keith's face went bright red, and Shiro stared at him in shock. Me and James laughed at their faces, and he stood up. "James! WhY?" Keith screeched, and James just smiled. He stuck his hand out to help him up, and when he took it, he yanked him up and brought him into a kiss. I smiled at the cute scene, and Shiro fake gagged. James pulled back with a smile "All better?" Keith smiled at him shyly "All better." Shiro gagged again "You guys are gross." I asked at him "Aw, I think its it's cute." Shiro rolled his eyes. "So,what's the plan for today? We did the tree, the lights, what else is there?" "Well, we still need to do presents and baking. We can go shopping today, then rest and be lazy tomorrow. Then well bake, and on Christmas we'll make dinner. That sound good?" I said, and the others nodded.

Not too long after, me and James took the truck to the nearby mall. We started window shopping and walking around for a while "So, James, what are you gonna get?" He shrugged "I don't know. If I see something that speaks to me, I'll probably get that. But I have no idea what to get Shiro, I barely know him." I nodded "Of course. Well, what were you thinking?" "Something funny. Shiro has a, ah, different sense of humor." He stopped in front of a shop and pointed to something"How about that? It's not funny, but it'd be useful." I smiled "I think it'd be great. And I think I see something Keith would like too."

We got our stuff and headed back. Shiro and Keith left, and by the time they had gotten back, we had hidden and wrapped their presents. We had gone our separate ways when getting our presents for each other, so it would be a surprise. When Keith and Shiro came back ,they had pizza. We sat and ate for a while, watching Netflix. Around 9, Shiro decided to break out the liquor and play a game. "Hey, let's play Never Have I Ever. But with shots." I shook my head "I don't know, James and Keith are still underage. And you're pretty hardcore with your alcohol." "Aw, come on babe. Don't be a buzzkill." James nodded "Yeah, I'm sure we'll be fine. Let's do this." Shiro smiled widely "Great. Let's get started."

We did the first few rounds with easy, simple ones. Never have I ever been drunk, never have I ever kissed someone, (we all drank to that), never have I ever pinned over someone for years (that one was mine), never have I ever had a diary (Keith directed that one at Shiro, who death stared him while drinking). By then, James and Keith were getting a bit tipsy, both obviously had very little alcohol tolerance. "Never have I ever, uh....fallen for a straight boy." Keith said, giggling. James was the only one who took a swing. We stared at him expectedly, wanting the story. When he saw our expressions, he sighed and hung his head. "You wanna know, don't you?", and we nodded. "Fine. Here's what happened....


	62. Matthew Knight

James POV

Well fuck, now I had to tell them. "Fine, here's what happened...

So at my old school, in 7th grade I realized that I was gay, and I realized that because of my friend, Matthew. Matthew Knight. We did everything together, we went to the movies, to parties, all that. We were pretty social, and since his sister was in high school and got invited to parties a lot, we sometimes tagged along with her. We got pretty close, and then one day, when he laughed, I realized that I like liked him. I was freaking out. I hadn't even considered that to be a possibility, me liking boys, but there I was. I crushed on him for all of seventh and most of eighth grade. I told my parents about it, and whenever he'd come over, my mom would start making weird jokes, particularly about weddings and couples. But I never told him. His parents were really into religion and stuff, and they though homosexuality was a bad thing. Also, he was my best friends, and one of few friends I had. I'd known him for years, and I was worried that if I told him, he'd reject me and it'd destroy our friendship. But then I thought that he returned my feelings, and he had a history of doing things his parents didn't want him too. And even though I thought he liked me back, I wasn't sure, and I didn't want to act on misunderstood signals. But then he told me and our friends that he was moving to North Carolina at the end of the year. And I decided, what the hell? Why not tell him before he leaves. So a few days before they left, I did tell him. But it didn't go well. He got really mad and started yelling at me, calling me a whore and a faggot. Then, after he calmed down, he looked me in the eyes. He said he was sorry for reacting that way, but he was okay with it. He said he had kinda figured that I was, and then he politely told me he wasn't interested. At least, not in me. He liked our friend Micheal, and he made me swear not to tell him. And it's kinda funny, because a few of our other friends had been saying that they were gay for each other for the longest time. After he left, we stopped talking. Then, me and my family moved back to Texas and I started at the Garrison. Then i met Keith, and you know about all that." 

The others stared at me in shock. Keith responded first "Really? Fuck, thats harsh." Shiro and Adam nodded "I had no idea. Is that why you got mad at your mom?" Adam asked, and I nodded. "Yeah. But even I can admit, I talked about Keith a LOT." Shiro smiled mischievously "How much?" I smiled back "A lot. I spent the entire car rides to and from the Garrison telling my dad about him, then I did the same thing with my mom when we got home. And over one of our video calls, I called him cute in front of the other. What made it even worse was the fact that all of them knew we liked each other." Keith turned pink, and Adam raised an eyebrow. "All of them? Even Lance?" I laughed "Oh hell no. Lance doesn't know. The others know we're dating, but Lance doesn't even know that we like each other." "How did the other find out?" Adam asked, and Keith laughed "A few days ago. When we made cookies. SOMEONE" he said, glaring at me "Decided to slap my ass with FLOUR all over his hands when I was wearing my NEW, BLACK jeans. Things were said, frosting was stolen, tricks were used, and.....we ended up kissing on the counter." Shiro and Adam started laughing "Really? THAT'S how they found out? You couldn't have just told them like normal people?" I shook my head and Keith laughed "Shiro, what about any of us is normal? We're working at a space exploration place, and while most kids our age are getting their drivers licenses, we're in flight simulators. Most kids older siblings go off to college, but nope, mine's going to space!" We laughed. "Keith's right. Nothing about the Garrison or the stuff it does is "normal". But seriously, making out on a counter? Why'd you have to tell them like that?" I raised an eyebrow "What makes you think we were making out?" Adam shrugged "Seems like something you'd do. And since you have thoroughly ruined this game, I'm going to bed. And you're not drinking any more or getting any tonight." He said, directing it at Shiro and taking the bottles to the kitchen. "Aww, booo." Keith cringed "Oh god. That's where you were going? Shiro that's disgusting. I don't want to hear any fucking." I smiled and leaned forward to whisper in his ear "You'd be fine if I was the one doing the fucking." Keith's eyes went wide and he slapped my arm "James!" he whisper yelled, "Stop it!" I just shrugged and wrapped my arm around him. "Whatever you say, Kitten~" He groaned and leaned into me "Stop." Shiro rolled his eyes "And neither do I. Don't do anything." He stood and went to his room, Adam following not too long after. We heard a muffled conversation through the walls "No, you're drunk." "Boo." Keith cringed "That, would be traumatizing." I nodded "Yeah."

"So..what do we do now? I don't wanna go to sleep yet." I shrugged "I don't know. Wanna make out?" He looked at me "Are we really that predictable?" I shrugged "Maybe. But do you?" He smiled and blushed a bit "Yeah." I smiled back "Great." and pulled him into a kiss. It got heated, and Keith ended up in my lap, tounge in my mouth. He started grinding against me, and I groaned in pleasure "Ah, Keith.." I could feel myself start to get hard, and then I remembered that we weren't alone. I pushed Keith a bit, and he pulled back, lips slightly swollen and smiling "Hmm?" I shook my head "We can't. Shiro and Adam." He sighed "I know." I pulled him into a hug "I'm sorry. Someday. But for now, lets just go to sleep." He nodded into my shoulder, and I carried him to our room. I laid him on the bed, and fell next to him. I was asleep the second my face hit the pillow.


	63. Christmas Eve

Keith POV

Today was Christmas Eve! I jumped out of bed and ran to the living room, where Adam and James were. Today, we'd be baking cookies, and tomorrow we'd do presents and watch Shiro fail at cooking. Yesterday we had been really lazy. Slept in until 10, then sat on our asses watching Netflix all day. no actual meals, just snacking. They smiled when they saw me "Morning Keith! Sleep well?" Adam said, and I nodded, sitting next to James. "Yeah. What you watching?" "Some cooking show. But they're all really bad at it. Adam said it'd give me an idea of what to expect tomorrow when Shiro cooks." I laughed a little "Oh yeah, he's really bad." "But he tries. It's the thought that counts." Adam interjected. "And it's not like you guys are any better." I shrugged "Never said I was good." "Just said Shiro was bad. Maybe it's hereditary." James said with a smile. Adam rolled him eyes "Mhmm, sure. Just don't let him hear you say that." "Say what?" I nearly jumped into James's lap. Shiro had just walked in, and was rubbing his eyes groggily. "Nothing! How are you?" James said, trying to divert his attention. "Mhm. I'm tired. But cookies." Adam nodded, shutting off the Tv. "Yeah. We need to make the batter and bake then. Then we can decorate! Lets go." We stood and went to the kitchen. As Adam and Shiro pulled out the ingredients, I spotted a big bag of flour, and saw James smile mischievously. "OH HELL NO. No flour for you." And he smirked "Why? I thought you liked the result?" I felt my face heat a bit, but I continued glaring at him "That's not the point. I still haven't gotten the flour out of my jeans." He shrugged "Not my fault. They're you clothes." I rolled my eyes "Fine. Just no flour on my ass." James nodded, and we started making the batter. We ended up with flour and sugar everywhere, but we had the batter. After putting the cookie lumps in the oven, we started making the frosting. Adam was very adamant that we had homemade frosting, not something from a container or mix. It had to have fresh ingredients, and be made in a bowl with a mixer. For the entirety of the time we made the frosting, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. James was going to do something, I was sure of it. But what? I tried to shake it off, but it didn't work. I knew him to well. He was going to do something. And I would be ready when he did.

When we finally finished with the frostings, we had red, white, yellow, green, and blue. Shiro insisted that blue was a Christmas color, and it was hopeless trying to argue with him about it. We took the cookies out, and after they cooled down, we started decorating them. Like when we made them with our friends, I used almost all of the red frosting, and the others had to steal it from me to use it. "Keith! Come on, stop hogging it! I want some too!" Shiro whined for the third time. He was trying to make an ornament on his cookie, with red polka dots. "No. Use a different color." "Keeiitthh! Stop being an ass and let me have some red frosting already!" I suddenly got an idea. A bad idea, but an idea nonetheless. "Okay. You want some red frosting? Here." And I shot some frosting at him. It hit the bridge of his nose, and he flinched. Then his eyes went hard, and he smiled "Oh, so you're gonna be like that, huh? Well, two can play at that game." He stuck his hand in the frosting and smeared some across my shirt. "Oh, its on." We started throwing and smearing frosting at/on each other, making a huge mess. Shiro tried to throw a glob at me, and hit James instead, point blank, right in the middle of his face. He opened his eyes and HOLY SHIT he looked PISSED. And kinda hot. But mostly pissed. He smiled innocently "Shiro.....YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THAT!" and threw a glob at him. It hit him right in the stomach,and when I saw his reaction, I almost doubled over laughing. He somehow looked shocked and constipated at the same time. My laughter stopped though when some frosting hit my cheek, splattering all over my face. I looked up and saw Adam smiling victoriously, spatula in hand. He had launched the frosting at me. "Only I get to laugh at Shiro being an idiot." Then some frosting it his glasses and he stumbled back. I saw James with a smug smile on his face "And no one threatens my boyfriend." 

We spent the next ten minutes or so attacking each other with frosting. We stopped taking it out of the bowls and just smeared the frosting from the walls or floor on each other. When we finally stopped, the kitchen was a mess. Only the Blue and a bit of the red frosting had survived. The white, green and yellow was all over us and the floor. It looked like we were wearing war paint. I had red on my face, James had blue, Adam had white, and Shiro had yellow. The green was all over our clothes. WE all burst out laughing. "Oh my god, look at us! We look like we just played paintball!" Adam said. "And look at the kitchen! Its a mess!" James said. "You, know, this is all Keith's fault." Shiro said, looking at me. "What? How?" He rolled his eyes "You were hogging all the red frosting. If you had just been mature and shared, this wouldn't have happened." I rolled my eyes "Please. You're supposed to be the mature one, not me." "Sorry, but Shiro's right. You keep hogging the red. You did it now, and you did it with our friends." James said, and I pouted "You're supposed to be on my side!" He shrugged "Sorry babe." Adam sighed "Well, no matter who's fault it is, we still need to clean up. James, Keith, go wash the frosting off your faces. Me and Shiro will start cleaning up the kitchen." Shiro pouted "Why do I have to clean?" Adam's eyes hardened "Because, _Takashi_ , we're the adults." Shiro hung his head and sighed "Okay."

Me and James went to the bathroom to wash our faces. When we got in, he closed the door and pushed me against the sink, and tried to kiss me. I turned my head "No, you don't get a kiss. You betrayed me." He pulled back and whined "Keith! Come on!" I shook my head "Nope. You have to make it up to me." He sighed "Fine. Come here. We need to get the frosting off you face." I nodded and sat on the counter. He got some toilet paper and started wiping my face. Then he started planting little kissed all over it. I giggled "James, what are you doing?" I felt him smile into a kiss "I'm making it up to you. That way you aren't mad at me." "Stop! You're just putting more frosting on me!" He leaned back and smiled "Maybe. But I don't like when you're mad at me. And they make a pretty little swirls when I do." I raised an eyebrow "Really? What color?" "Purple. it's light, but it's there." HE started kissing my face again, never fully kissing my lips, always just on the edge. The side of my cheek, my nose, my chin. I giggled "James, stop it!" He smiled "Am I forgiven?" I chuckled "I could never stay mad at you." "Great. And now, your face is red with little bits of blue." I smiled "Wanna make purple?" He leaned in "Fuck yes." 

We started making out, tongues exploring mouths and hands roaming. We were interrupted by knocking at the door. "Hey, you guys done yet?" Fuck, it was Adam.Ruining the mood. "Yeah, we'll be there in a minute." James answered. "Okay. Me and Shiro got most of it, but you guys still need to help." "Okay." We heard him leave, and I sighed. "Buzzkill." James smiled "Yeah. But we should probably clean up." I nodded. Once we had cleaned all the frosting off, we went to the kitchen, where we found Shiro cleaning. "There you guys are! Finally! I thought you got lost! Which would've been just sad." I rolled my eyes "Cut the sarcasm. What do you want us to do?" "You can do the dishes. James, can you help me with the walls? There's a sponge by the sink." "Why do I have to do the dishes?" I whined. "Because, I'm the adult, and I said so." Shiro said with a smile. I stuck my tounge out at him and he smiled even wider. "So how exactly did you get the frosting off your faces anyway?" I felt my face heat up a bit and I smiled "That's a secret. But don't worry. I'm sure you and Adam will figure it out." Shiro nodded. He knew. But he was okay with it. And he couldn't say it was gross or anything because him and Adam used to do that all the time. I smiled to myself as I got stated on the dishes. This was turning out to be the best Christmas yet.


	64. Christmas

James POV

I groaned as I sat up. Keith was still asleep, and had my waist in a bear hug. I had to tear his arms away from me in order to get up, which woke him up. He looked up at me and smiled groggily. "Hey Griff. Merry Christmas." Fuck, I had forgotten that it was Christmas. I smiled "Merry Christmas Kitten." And gave him a kiss on the forehead. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, he was stretching. He had on some tight shorts, and they REALLY clung to his figure. he saw me staring, and his face went bright pink. "Griff, stop." "Why? I'm admiring your beauty." I said, going over to him. His face went even pinker "Stop. You know I don't like that." "Why not? I'm telling the truth. You're beautiful." I said, tipping his face towards my own. I had a few inches on him, much to his dismay. "James!" He whined "I hate you." "No you don't, you love me." "You're lucky that's true." I smiled "Yeah, I am." We were about to kiss when we heard an "Ahem." from the door. Shiro was standing their with an unamused look on his face, and a cup of coffee. "If you guys are done, we're gonna do food now. Cookies for breakfast." He left, and I felt Keith's head fall onto my chest. "They have the worst timing." I chuckled "Yeah. But cookies for breakfast!" He looked up at me "True. Let's go, otherwise we'll be eating crumbs." I nodded "Yeah, but first.." And gave him a kiss. He smiled into it, and we pulled back. "Come on, lets eat."

In the kitchen, Adam and Shiro had a little chicken out, along with a bunch of spices and seasonings. "Shiro, I think that's too much." "Nah, you can never have too much pepper." "Yes you can. Then the food will be burnt and over seasoned." "Normally I'd trust your judgement, but christmas dinner is my thing. Even if we don't end up eating it, I can say I did it." Adam rolled his eyes "Fine!" Then he saw us. "Hey boys! So, Chinese or pizza this year?" I shrugged "Either." "Chinese. We did pizza last year." Keith said, and Adam nodded "Right. And merry Christmas! how'd you guys sleep?" "Like a rock." I answered, and Keith nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and when I went by they were about to start sucking each other's faces." Shrio said. "Shiro! Stop! It's not like you and Adam were any better!" Keith whined. "I don't recall making out at someone else's house." "Well, we always came here. You've only been to my house once, every other time you met my parents we were at the Garrison." Adam said. Shiro rolled his eyes "Potato potato. Same difference." "No, you were older than us." "Yeah, by a year. Not a big difference." I sighed and sat in the living room. Adam came over with a plate of cookies "I know how you feel." I took a cookies "Does it ever stop?" He shook his head with a smile "No. But it's there way of showing they care. It's a sibling thing. We wouldn't get it." I bit into my cookie. It had barely any frosting, it must've been post-frosting war. "You're an only child?" "Yeah. But I have a lot of cousins." I nodded, mouth full. "Anyway, what do you want from the Chinese food place?" I shrugged "Whatever." Adam sighed "That's what Keith and Shiro said. Well, what about pizza? What kind would you want?" "Meat lovers." He nodded "Then we'll probably get pizza again. Everyone has an immediate answer for that, but not for Chinese." "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, why does Shiro always cook for Christmas? Keith said that you were the better cook." Adam slimed soft;y "That's a good question. And I don't mind you asking. Well, as you know, him and Keith are orphans. Keith doesn't remember either of their parents much, just bits and pieces about their dad. Shiro remembers him clearly, but not their mom. They don't know much about her. Anyway, he remembers cooking with his dad. It makes him feel closer to him, you know? Honor his memory and stuff." I nodded. Wow. I never knew any of that. Well, Keith may have mentioned it, but it sounded so different coming from Adam. "Shocking right? I get it. But it's how they do things. When you don't remember much about someone, you hold on to what you do remember." I nodded "Yeah. Wow. I had no idea. That's rough." Adam smiled "Yeah. But enough of that, it's Christmas. I'm willing to bet that they're done already." 

In the kitchen, Keith was laughing at Shiro, who had his hand in the sink, running water over it. "What happened?" "He-he burned himself putting it in, then he almost dropped it. And when he caught it, he burned himself again." "Hey!" Shiro whined. "At least I did something. All you've done is eat cookies." Adam sighed"Let me see." Shiro held out his hand, and he sighed again. "It barely touched you. You'll be fine in a few hours." I rolled my eyes and sat next to Keith. "But it hurts!" Shiro whined. Adam kissed it "There? That better?" Shiro smiled "Actually, my lip hurts to." Adam rolled his eyes and gave him a quick peck on the lips "There. Now try not to burn this one too badly." "Yeah, last time the garbage man thought it was a rock." Keith said with a smile, and Shiro glared at him. "Shut up. Why don't you take James out on the bike while it cooks? Dinner won't be ready for a while." Keith smiled brightly "Yeah! Come on!" He jumped up and grabbed my hand, dragging me outside and around the house. "Wait. What bike?" He smiled and pressed a button on the side of the house "This one."

The garage door opened, and inside was a red hover bike, with black and white stripes. "Whoa." "I know right? It's the one I was telling you about. Shiro got it custom painted. Wanna go for a ride?" "Uh, hell yeah!" He smiled "Great. Here." And handed me a helmet. After grabbing him he held his hand out to me "Come on." I climbed on, and he shot off down the road. I'll admit, I screamed a bit, shut my eyes closed, and clung rightly to Keith. "Hahaha! Come on James, look!" I opened my eyes, and was astounded by the view. Yeah, it was just desert, but it was nice. The sun kinda glittered on the sand and dirt, and the sky was crystal clear, and ocean blue. "Whoa." "I know. Its pretty cool right?" "Yeah." I was breathless. One, cause Keith had decided to go so FUCKING FAST, two, because it looked pretty. Everyone always talks about the dessert like it's where all things go to die, but this, this was beautiful. Not as beautiful as Keith, but it was close. "Hey, wanna do a trick?" Keith asked, and before I could even process what he said, he was speeding off. "Wait, what?" HE kept going faster and faster, and he was approaching a FUCKING CLIFF. "KEEEIITHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I could practically hear him smirking "Something." He kept speeding towards the cliff "KEITH! WHAT THE FUCK?" THERE"S A CLIFF!" "YOU"LL SEE!" Then, we were airborne. 

Time seemed to slow down, and everything went in slow-mo. We stayed in the air for a few seconds before we went plummeting towards the ground. I couldn't even scream, I was so amazed by it all. When we started getting closer to the ground, Keith tensed up, and at the last second, he pulled up. We coasted at the bottom of the canyon for a little while, before making our way out. "Jamie? You good?" The fuck? "What did you just call me?" He tensed beneath my hands "Uh, Jamie. I called you Jamie. Why? Is it a problem?" I shook my head, even though I knew he couldn't see me. "No, not at all. But now I need to find another nickname for you too." "Haha! Yeah. You'll figure it out." We rode in silence for a while. "Hey, you wanna head back? It getting late." "What do you mean? We've only been out here for a little while. It's only.." I pulled my phone out to check the time, and my eyes went wide "2 in the afternoon. Yeah we should probably head back." "Yeah, time flies out here." We rode back to the house in silence. When we got inside, we saw Shiro and Adam staring expectedly at the oven. "Hey. What are you doing?" Keith asked. "Oh hey guys. The chicken will be done soon, and we're watching it." Adam said. "So it hasn't exploded yet?" Shiro shook his head "Not yet." I stared at them in disbelief "Yet? It's exploded before?" They laughed "Oh yeah. The first time Shiro did Christmas diner he blew it up. It took forever to get all the bits out of the oven." Adam said with a smile. "I'll admit, I am not a good cook. But I try." Shiro said. The timer went off "BEEP BEEP BEEP!" Shiro sighed "Alright! Moment of truth. You ready?" Adam nodded, and he opened the oven. A bit of smoke came out, and Shiro pulled it out. It was dark brown, and it looked like a brisket. "Are we sure this was a chicken?" Adam asked, and Shiro's shoulders sagged, and he pouted. "Boo. It didn't work." Adam rubbed his back "but you tried. And it looks better than last year. And now we get to eat pizza." Shiro's yes lit up "Yeah! I'm gonna go throw this away." He took the chicken and went outside, where I assumed the trash cans were. I shook my head "Shiro is like a five year old." Keith giggled "Yeah. Sometime's he's more of a six year old though." Adam nodded "A big, buff, space exploring, future astronaut- oh my god I'm engaged to a six year old. I'm going to MARRY a SIX YEAR OLD!" We all started laughing, and Shiro walked in with a confused look on his face. "What's so funny?" Which sent us into another round of laughter. "Nothing. What kind of pizza do you want?" "Supreme." "Keith, James, what about you?" "Meat lovers." We said in unison. Adam looked a little shocked, then nodded. "Alright. I'm gonna order the pizza. You guys put your gifts under the tree. After pizza we'll open them." We nodded and went to do what we were told.

-Time skip-

After we ate pizza, we all sat in the living room. Shiro, like the six year old he is, sat criss-cross-applesauce on the floor. When me and Keith saw him, we laughed a little, but stopped when he looked at us. Adam was handing out the presents. Once we all had ours he sat next to Shiro and breathed a sigh of relief "Alright, open your gifts." We tore open the wrappings. I got a nice fuzzy orange blanket, twenty bucks, and a stuffed lion. Shiro got a camera, some kind of black vest thing, and a black lion. Adam got a brown sweater, a rainbow laptop cover, and something else in a bag that caused his eyes to bulge out. "SHIRO!" he hissed. "Why?" Shiro smiled evily "Because." "Do I even want to know?" Keith asked, and Adam shook him head. "No. You don't." Keith had gotten twenty bucks, and some fingerless gloves, but he still hadn't opened one present. The one I had gotten him. "Come on Keith, open it." He gave me a quizzical look, but opened the box nonetheless. His eyes brightened when he saw what was inside. It was a red cropped jacket, with white and yellow stripes. I had seen him looking at it on his phone back at the Garrison. He smiled at me brightly "You remembered." "Of course. You looked at it almost everyday." He leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek "Thanks James." 'No problem." "Thanks Adam, thanks Shiro." "You're welcome. Now, lets watch movies and eat cookies!" Shiro said with a smile. We spent the rest of the night watching classic Christmas movies, like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frozen (because Shiro), A Mickey Mouse Christmas, and a few others. Me and Keith were cuddled up under my new blanket in the chair, and Shiro and Adam were on the couch. It was nice. I was warm, and with the person I loved most. This was the best Christmas I had ever had. Everything was perfect.


	65. Time Skip

**its the title, and it's because I don't feel like writing filler chapters for several months in the story, cause those aren't fun for anyone**

After Christmas, the gays returned to the Garrison. Everyone was happy to be together again, but for Keith, Adam and Pidge, it didn't last long. They were in the final stretch of time before there loved ones went into space. But they made it worth while. Shiro and Adam came into a habit of going out every weekend, sometimes bringing Keith and James along. Other times it would just be the Broganes, hanging out or learning things. They did everything from hang out at their house to going to the beach. The Holts would sometimes come along, which strengthened the bond between the families.

Keith and James's relationship got more serious, they were always together, and they always slept together and cuddled. And much to their friends dismay, they were lovey-dovey all the time, sneaking kisses and making each other blush. The day after Valentines, Keith was very thankful for the big collars on the Garrison uniforms. When the others saw them, they knowingly smirked. James had a satisfied smile on his face, and Lance was very confused. He still hadn't figured out that the two were dating, and was completely clueless. And when Pidge, asked "So did yal fuck or nah?" they immediately said no. James ended up giving Kinkade 10 bucks, because Lance quit their workout sessions, but with Shiro and the others always being out on the weekends, they stopped having them.

Since they were nearing the end of the school year, lines were being drawn. They started having a list for the flight simulator, ranking the students. The ones on top were the most likely to be fighter class, and the lower ones were more likely to be cargo pilots. Keith and James were always ahead of Lance, but he zeroed in on the fact that Keith was, once again, better at something than him. He, in an effort to encourage himself, started thinking of Keith as his rival, and made it his mission to try and beat him. The students had started their combat and driving classes as well. But instead of cars, they were driving hoverbikes, similar to the one Keith had. In combat training, they had started learning basic self defense, and martial art moves. But they were still doing the basics. Keith showed lots of promise in both fields, and Shiro would give him special lessons, which advanced his skills. 

But their favorite thing to do together was ride their hoverbike, no matter what they did. It was on one of these rides that Shiro told Keith something very important, something he would always remember.


	66. The Talk

Shiro POV

We had one week. One week. Then me and the Holts would go to space for, possibly, the next two years. We might not come back. We might never see our families and friends ever again. But it was worth the risk. If we went, that meant they wouldn't have too. And Keith and Pidge are doing really well at the Garrison. Keith might even end up being a better pilot than me. But I need to talk to him before I go. Just the two of us.

"Here. Put this on, we're going for a ride." I said, throwing a helmet at Keith. Me, him, Adam and James were at out house, spending as much time together as possible before the mission. "Oof. Okay. Later guys." "Bye babe" James said, kissing his cheek. Keith went light pink, and I smiled to myself. They'd been dating for months, and he still blushed whenever James did something romantic. "Bye Takashi." Adam said as we walked out. We got on the bike and I drove for a little while, then I stopped near one of the canyons. "Get off." Me and Keith walked to the edge and starred at the sunset. "So..why'd we have to take this ride? You seem like something's bothering you." I sighed. 

"Something IS bothering me, Keith. I'm going to space for the next two YEARS. I won't see you, or Adam, or James for two years. And we might not even make it back." "NO. Don't say that. You're coming back. Me and Pidge already agreed, if you don't come back, we'll find a way to get you. Well, she will, then I'll fly it." I chuckled "Yeah, you guys would do that. But I'm just being honest with you bro. Anyway, since there is the possibility that I won't make it back, I need you to promise me something." He looked at me eagerly "What? What is it? I promise, I'll do it." I looked him in the eyes "You have to promise me that you'l take care of yourself. And the others. I can't imagine what you'd feel like if I didn't come back, but imagine what it'd be like for Pidge. Losing her brother AND her dad. You need to be there for her. Make sure that she still does, you know, normal stuff. Like eat, sleep, stuff like that. And you too. Don't think I don't know about you guys all night gaming." We both laughed a bit "And Adam. If I don't come back, he'll need to move on. You can't exactly marry a dead guy. But most importantly, take care of yourself. Don't get all emo and close yourself off from the world. I've seen how James looks at you. He loves you, and he'd be so sad if you let yourself go. And he'd blame himself. And I know if I don't come back you'll miss me, but eventually, you'd have to move on. But you don't have to do it alone. You have James, and Adam, and Pidge, and the others. They all love you. Promise me Keith. Promise me you won't close yourself off. That you'll take care of Adam and Pidge. That you'll take care of YOURSELF. You have so much potential, Keith. And your whole life ahead of you. Don't waste it. Okay?" He nodded, his body shaking. I realized that he was crying. I wrapped my arms around him "Aw, Keith, don't cry. It'll be okay." "N-no it won't! The fact that you're telling me this makes it seem like YOU don't even think its going to be okay!" "Keith-" He shoved me back "NO! I can't lose you too!" He screamed, tears streaming down his face. HE started breathing heavily, and he wiped his face. "No. NO. You ARE coming back, or I'll go to space myself and kill you." He had stopped crying now, and had a look of grim determination set on his face. I put my hands up "Okay. But you'll do what I asked, right?" He just looked at me. "Keith." I said, in a stern tone. "You'll do it, right?" He sighed and nodded. I smiled "Goos. Now, are we or are we not jumping this?" I said, gesturing to the canyon. He grinned "Of course we are. Are you going to scream?" "Hopefully not. Or Matt and Mr.Holt will never let me hear the end of it when we take off." 

We got on the bike, and Keith drove it in the direction of the cliff. We jumped off, and for the first time, I laughed. A true and joyous laugh, because here I was, with my little brother, jumping off a cliff on a hover bike that I taught him how to ride, And I knew that it'd be alright. I'd come back, no matter how long it'd take. I come back to him. I'd come back to Adam. 

_Even if I died trying._


	67. Last Goodbye

Keith POV

This was it. The last time I'd see my brother for two years. The last goodbye. James stood next to me, hand in mine. Adam and Shiro were saying their goodbyes, and there was lots of pained smile, kisses, and crying. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the Holts saying goodbye as well. Mrs.Holt had tears in her eyes, and Pidge was helping Matt up, after she had undoubtbly knocked him down. A shadow fell over me, and I felt James's hand leave my own. I looked up just in time for my brother to wrap his arms around me. "I love you Keith." I smiled into his shoulder and wrapped my arms around him. "I love you too." He pulled away, a pained look on his face. "Remember your promise, alright? I love you lil bro." I nodded "I will. I love you too. Now go. You don't want to be late." He nodded and stepped away. Then, to my surprise and his own, he hugged James. "Take care of Keith for me, alright?" James smiled and nodded "Of course." "And, just in case, you have my permission to plow Keith's ass." His face went pink, and I felt mine heat up as well. "Shiro!" He laughed "What? I'm just having a little fun." "Don't worry, I'll take care of him." Shiro smiled at James softly "I know you will. You're a good kid. Keith is lucky to have met you." Then Shiro moved on to Adam. They just shared a wordless embrace, followed by an emotionally charged kiss. Shiro slowly stepped away, holding Adam's hand for as long as he could, before eventually letting go. He gave us one last look, his eye lingering on Adam, before turning towards the ship.

As the countdown started, I remembered a song that our foster dad used to play.

_I saw the light fade from the sky  
On the wind I heard a sigh  
As the snowflakes cover  
My fallen brothers  
I will say this last goodbye_

10.....

_Night is now falling  
So ends this day  
The road is now calling  
And I must away_

8.....

_Over hill and under tree  
Through lands where never light has shone  
By silver streams that run down to the sea_

6.........

_Over hill and under tree  
Through lands where never light has shone  
By silver streams that run down to the sea_

5......

_And though where the road then takes me  
I cannot tell  
We came all this way  
But now comes the day  
To bid you farewell_

4......

_Many places I have been  
Many sorrows I have seen  
But I don't regret  
Nor will I forget  
All who took that road with me_

3.......

The rockets flared

_Night is now falling  
So ends this day  
The road is now calling  
And I must away  
  
Over hill and under tree  
Through lands where never light has shone  
By silver streams that run down to the sea_

2.......

_To these memories I will hold  
With your blessing I will go  
To turn at last to paths that lead home_

1.. Liftoff

The ship blazed into the yellow sky,

_And though where the road then takes me  
I cannot tell  
We came all this way  
But now comes the day  
To bid you farewell_

I tilted my head up, as far as it would go, determined to keep the ship in my sights for as long as I could.

_I bid you all a very fond farewell_

And that was the last time I saw my brother.

The once clear sky filled with smoke and exhaust, and their ship went into orbit. It faded from view, and the sky cleared. Then it hit me. A wave of sadness, and exhaustion. Everything for the past few months had been leading up to this moment. And now, my brother was gone. In space. The only blood family I had, off on a mission to a distant moon. I staggered a bit, but James caught me, and pulled me into a hug, and Adam joined in. "Don't worry Kitten. He'll be back." I sighed and buried my face in his shoulder. He was right. Shiro would come back. He always did.


	68. Last days 2

Couldn't think of a good title

Kinkade POV

Yesterday was amazing! Me and the others had all made fighter class! Well, except Lance, but he'd be okay. Me, James, Ina and Rizavi were hanging out in the lounge room, talking about what we were gonna do that summer. "Well, I'm gonna go visit some family, then probably soend the rest of the summer being lazy." Rizavi said "If you have time, maybe we could hang out. I don't have any plans." Ina said quietly, and Rizavi smiled. "That'd be great. What about you guys? Anything cool?" I shook my head "Not really. I'll probably go to photography camp again. I really liked it last year, I learned a lot." James smiled and shook his head "You always have to be learning, don't you? Even during summer." "Its not like you'll be doing anything better." I retorted. "Yeah, except maybe Keith." Ina said. Me and Rizavi laughed, while James groaned. "I wish you guys would stop doing that! We're not fucking any time soon!" I smirked "Mhmm, sure." "I'm serious! Besides, the whole time we'll either be with Adam or one of my parents! We couldn't even do anything!" Ina smiled "But you have thought about it." His eyes went wide and we laughed. "Pidge is not a good influence on you." I said with a laugh. "But you can't blame him. Keith is pretty good looking." Rizavi said. "I know right?" James said with a dopey smile. "Dude, stop. I'm not going to listen to another one of your rants about him. I got enough of that before you guys started dating." He smiled "Alright, I get it. Nah we'll probably go to the beach or something. If not that,being lazy and bingeing Netflix." "Yeah! High five!" Rizavi said with a smile. They high fives, and Ina laughed. "Well it's great knowing that we all have big plans this summer. Me, I'm gonna go start being lazy now. There's a new season of one of my favorite shows on Netflix, and its calling me."

Time Skip is dinner time

Lance POV 

"Lance, please stop pouting. So you didn't make it into fighter class. You're still gonna be a pilot." Hunk said. I sat up and stared down at him "But it's not fair! I'm just as good as the rest of them, if not better! Even Keith made it! If that jackass can do it, why can't I?" Hunk sighed. "Lance, calm down. And the others made it because they were good. And so were you. But you knew when you signed up for this that only a few people would make it into that class. You just didn't make the cut this time. But there'll be other chances." My eyes narrowed "What, so you think I'm not good enough? Ina only beat me by one level!" "But that one level made all the difference. It could mean the difference between life and death in real life. Can you at least try and act happy for them? After tomorrow, you won't see them until August." I sighed heavily "Fineee. I'll try and act happy. But not for Keith, all right?" Hunk sighed. "Fine. What's your problem with him anyways?" I hopped off the bed "He's only where he is because of Shiro. Without him, he probably wouldn't even be at the Garrison." "Whoa. Lace that's messed up. Don't let him hear you say that. Or James." I rolled my eyes "Lets jus get this over with."

I proceeded to pretend to be happy for the entirety of dinner. Lucky for me, Keith and James left early, so I didn't have to put up with them. But I have no idea why when they left the others had smirks on their faces. They had been doing that a lot lately, even more so since Christmas .I wonder why. They're probably just being weird.

When I finally made it back to my room, I sighed with relief. Finally. Now just one more day, then I'm home free.


	69. Goodbyes

Pidge POV

I zipped up my last bag with a sigh. this was it, the last day of school. I wouldn't see my friends again until August. But, I was one day closer to seeing Matt and my dad again. "Pidge, you good?" I shook my head and smiled "Yeah V, I'm good. Just zoned out." "Thinking about your family again?" I sighed, hoisting my bag. "Yeah. This summer is going to be really weird without them. There's no one for me to annoy, and no one to build a robot with." "But there's still your mom." Veronica said, grabbing her bags. We started walking out of our room and towards the entrance. "Yeah, but she's not in to building the robots. She does the programming for them. Me and my dad make them, her and Matt make them work. We have a system." She laughed "Yeah. A weird one, but a working one. So, any plans for this summer?" I shook my head "Nah. I might bug the gays or Hunk, but that's about it. You?" "Nope. Just trying not to kill Lance. You saw him last night. He's gonna be grumpy all summer because he didn't make the cut." I shrugged "Not your problem. If he's gonna waste his summer pouting like a baby, let him. You can always whip him into shape." She chuckled "Oh no. If he's moping around the house all summer, Mami or Abuela will put him to work. Helping cook, cleaning, laundry, you name it. Sometimes, they even have him model our sister Rachel's clothes, since they're about the same size. Both are tallish and lanky. They'll whip him into shape. And I'll sit and watch." I smiled "Ooh, if they make him model, send me pictures." She smiled "Of course. Speaking of which, I want a group one." "Ha, good luck with that. Lance won't go anywhere near Keith and James, and those two are attatched at the hip." She shrugged "Can't blame me for trying. Now come on, lets say goodbye before they leave."

We spent the next half hour or so saying our goodbyes, which involved hugs, smiles and laughter. Kinkade and Ina left first, followed by Rizavi and Hunk. Then the McClains, which left me with the gays. "James, aren't you leaving?" I asked. He shook his head with a smile "Nope. I'm staying with Keith nd Adam for a few days, then a few weeks with my mom, then my dad, and ultimately, back to Keith." I smiled "So I'm guessing you guys have plans?" I said, wiggiling my eyebrows on the last part. Both went pink "No we're not doing anything like...that. We'll probably just chill." Keith said "Regular chill or Netflix and chill?" Keith's eyes went wide. "Pidge! What the hell? I already told you, we're not doing anything like that!" James smirked "Even though Shiro said we could." Keith's face went bright pink and I laughed. "Wait, Shiro said that? For real?" "Yeah, before he left he said "I give you permission to plow Keith's ass." It was hilarious." I started laughing "Oh god, I can't believe he said that! Okay, sorry Keith, but Shiro is officially my new favorite Kogane." Keith sighed "I guess I can live with that." I smiled sweetly "Don't worry, you're still my favorite bottom." His eyes went wide and James started laughing. "Holy shit!" He wheezed "Good one Pidge." "What makes you think I'd be the bottom?" Keith asked, and I laughed "Keith, please. It's obvious. Also, you're shorter." "What does that have to do with anything?" he whined. "Keith babe, you don't want to know." "Seriously? Why would I be the bottom? Give me one good reason. One!"

My mom chose that exact moment to show up, and I was rescued from that awkward conversation. "Hey honey. How was your last day?" She asked once we got in the car. "It was pretty good. The gays were being weird, Lance was being an asshole.." "Language." I rolled my eyes "Sorry. Lance was being a butt cause he didn't make fighter class, and everyone else was in a pretty good mood." "That's nice. Oh, we got another video from Matt and your dad." Yes! Finally! "What'd they say?" "The usual. We miss you, love you, don't let Pidge build a killer robot, wish you were here, the usual. And apparently they've been tormenting Shiro. They didn't go into specifics,bit it couldn't have been good.c Ilaigjed. "Yeah. Classic dad." "Yeah,your dad's always been a bit of a trickster. I wonder how Matt is doing. I know he had a crush on Shiro for the longest time." Back in the days when Shiro and Matt were students at the Garrison, they were roommates. And Matt had a big crush on him. But then Shiro fell in love with Adam,and that was the end of that. But sometimes, you could still see him staring at Shiro. "Oh yeah. He must be dying. Especially since all of Shiro's messages are to Adam and Keith." She nodded "Yeah. But they'll be home soon. Then Shiro and Adam will get married, then Keith and James, and Matt will find someone. Eventually." Yes that right, even my mom knew that Keith and James were dating. Everyone knew, except Lance. But he was painfully obvious to almost everything. "Yeah, that might take a while. Matt isn't exactly..." "Right." There were no words to explain Matt's love life, or lack thereof. It just didn't happen. "They should reach the moon in a few months, then, after they get the samples, they'll come back home. It's only a matter of time."


	70. Beach Time

James POV

It's been two weeks since school ended, and today, me, Keith and Adam are going to the beach down in Corpus. "Come on boys, I don't have time for this." Adam said. Keith rolled his eyes "You don't have work today. You do have time." "Yes, but I don't have time for your lazy asses. I wanna get to the beach. Sometime today." I sighed "Come on Keith, lets get our stuff." "Yes, and go change. And use the bathroom, we're not stopping on the way there." Me and Keith went to him room to go change. I started to take my shirt off, when Keith stopped me, a light blush dusting his cheeks. "Uh, actually, why don't you change in the bathroom." I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Okay?" I got to the bathroom and started changing. I wonder why he wanted me to leave. He has nothing to be ashamed of. We've seen each other shirtless before. Hell, we've taken each other's shirts off before. I wonder why it changed now. I pulled on my trunks and it hit me. We'd have been fully naked. In the same room. Together. I slapped my forehead. Of course! How hadn't I realized that? I was so stupid. I hadn't even thought about it. I hadn't even thought about how he might feel. Fuck I was being so stupid. I really had to be more considerate. I put on my shirt, a white V-neck, and grabbed my stuff, checked my hair one later time and opened the door.

I walked out of the bathroom and straight **(haha not)** into Keith. My eyes scanned his body and I smiled. "You ready to go?" He had on some red trunks that only reached about halfway down his thigh, and a small black crop top, showing his belly button. And not only were the trunks small, but they were also tight. "Yeah, you?" "Yeah." "Come on boys, lets go! You can eye fuck later! Now get in the car!" Adam said, clearly impatient. After some fighting, me and Keith finally got in the car, me in the front seat and him in the back. Then we started the long drive to Corpus.

It took FOREVER to get there, and Keith had fallen asleep in the backseat. "Alright gays, we're here. James, wake up your boyfriend. I'll get our stuff." I climbed into the back of the truck and started shaking Keith. "Keith, come on babe, wake up. Keith. Keith. KEITH." But he wouldn't budge. In fact, he just smiled and squeezed his eyes shut. I sighed. So I was going to have to do this the hard way. I leaned in close to his ear "Come on Kitten~" His eyes opened and he sat up quickly, almost hitting me in the process. "James!" I laughed "What? It's the only way to wake you up." He slapped my arm "Not funny." "Yes it was. Come on, Adam's waiting." By the time we got out of the truck, Adam had already claimed a spot on the beach, and had all of our stuff out. Me and Keith didn't have a lot, just a backpack each. But Adam had a whole ass tent and chair, along with a huge beach towel. "Finally! Come on, lets hit the beach!" Adam said excitedly.

Keith POV

Okay, Adam was getting a little TOO excited. We weren't in some cheesy movie. We're not gonna brake out in song and dance, then have some kind of life-changing adventure. This wasn't Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was real life. James started taking his shirt off, and I stopped to watch, taking in his every movement. He pulled it up, starting from the bottom. His arm and back muscles tensed. He pulled it over his head, and gave his hair a little flip to get it out of his face. I felt my face heat up and I looked away. Fuck, that shouldn't have been as hot as it was. I quickly stripped myself of my shirt, and started walking towards the water. "WAIT, KEITH! YOU FORGOT YOUR SUNSCREEN!" Adam yelled, and I sighed. Thanks to my "porcelain skin", I burned REALLY easily. "Yeah babe, you forgot your sunscreen." James said with a smirk. "You too James." Adam said, and his smirk fell. I riffled through my bag and handed him the bottle. "Here, you do me, then I'll do you." He smiled. "No matter what, I'll be the one doing you." Holy shit, he was implying that if we fucked, HE'D fuck ME. I started blushing and shoved the bottle at his chest. His stupid, slightly toned, chest. "Shut up." "Fine. Come here." We sat down, and he began rubbing the sunscreen all over my back and shoulders, and I gotta admit, it felt good. I was almost sad when it was over. "Here. Now do mine." James said, handing me the bottle and sitting in front of me. I smiled, and squirted a big glob in the center of his back. His back arched and he hissed a bit "Fuck, that's cold." I smiled even more "Aw, come on, stop being a baby." "I am not!" He whined, further proving my point. I started spreading it out, and James relaxed under my touch. When I was done, I had a little extra on my hands, and I wiped it on his nose. "Hey!" James whined, and I smiled, leaning in to kiss his nose. "What?" I asked innocently "If you're gonna kiss me, do it right." He said, and I raised an eyebrow "Really? How?" He smiled "Like this." he said, kissing me on the lips. He pulled back and I smiled. "Hmm, you may have to show me again." He chuckled a bit "Gladly." He was leaning in for another kiss, when suddenly some water hit us. I turned and saw Adam, holding a little water gun. "If I wanted to see you guys kiss I would've just stayed home. Go get in the water. Enjoy the beach. That's the whole reason we came here." I sighed and turned back towards James. "I guess we better do what he says." "Yeah. Come on, maybe we'll find some seashells." He took my hand and pulled me towards the sea.

We spent the next few hours running around the beach. Splashing each other, finding seashells, annoying Adam. Whenever James's hair fell in his face, or he got water in his eyes, he'd flip his hair a bit, and it looked fucking hot. You could see each droplet glistening in the sun as it flew through the air. Then, the sun reflected off his eyes, making them even brighter than they already were. And his smile was so bright and beautiful. I sighed. I had a hot ass boyfriend who loved me, and an over-protective, but caring, soon-to-be-brother-in-law. It was the perfect day. 

The only thing missing was Shiro. But he hated the beach. He'd always complain about the sand getting in his shoes, in his trunks, in his bag. Basically all he did was complain about the sand. I stood silently, staring at the now calm sea. The sky was a clear and vibrant blue, and the sea was a brilliant hue. James walked up next to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. "Hey." He said, planting a kiss on my cheek. "Hey." "Whatcha doin?" I shrugged "Nothing really. Just thinking." "'Bout what?" "How much Shiro would be complaining if he was here. "There's sand in my shoes! There's sand in my trunks!" Lighten up, there's sand everywhere." James laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like Shiro. But don't worry, you'll see him again soon." I smiled at James. "I know, but right now, I'm happy here with you." James smiled and blushed a bit. "Thanks Kitten. Now come on, Adam said he'd buy us ice cream!" I giggled and let my over excited boyfriend lead me to the ice cream stand where Adam was already waiting in line. Today really was the perfect day.


	71. And We're Back

Lance POV

I hugged my Abulea one last time, smiling. "Don't worry mijo, I'm sure you'll do great." I smiled softly "Thanks Abuela. Love you." "I love you too. Now go, your amigos are waiting." I hugged her one last time and went over to my friends. Hunk, Pidge, Kinkade, James, Rizavi and Ina were already there, but Mullet was nowhere to be seen. I wonder where he is? I shook my head quickly. no, Lance, no. He's your rival now, he took your spot. hunk smiled when he saw me "Lance! Great to see you buddy!" And crushed me in a bear hug. "It's nice to see you too Hunk. Can you let go? I need to breathe." "Oh, of course. I'm sorry. I'm just so excited." Pidge laughed "We get it Hunk. You missed us. We missed you too." I smiled "Hey Pidgeon." "Hey yourself." "Hey man. How you doing?" Kinkade asked. I shrugged "Good. Veronica didn't kill me this summer, and I got to do nothing." "Ahh, the easy life. Nothing but Netflix and couch surfing all summer." Rizavi said with a smile. "Well, except for that time we hung out." Ina said quietly. "Ohh, right. We went to the poo. That was fun." Pidge smiled "So, James. What did you and Keith do?" She asked, wiggiling her eyebrows. Was it just me, or did he start blushing? "Nothing important. We went to the beach, binged Netflix. The usual." Kinkade wrapped an arm around his shoulders "What about that, uh, dinner you told me about? And your birthday?" Okay, James was definetly blushing now. "We just went out to eat, that's all. And for my birthday we went to Cornyval. The dates changed this year, and it opened a few days before. It was really fun. We went on rides, played games. We even got on the Ferris Wheel at sundown." Rizavi raised an eyebrow "Oh, the Ferris wheel?" "At sundown?" Ina piped in, a smile on her face. "Shut up." James grumbled, shoving Kinkade's arm off of him. "Yeah guys, lighten up. I'm sure that if anything happened, James would tell us. Right?" Hunk said, and James nodded. "Right." "Speaking of which, where is Keith?" I asked, and the others shrugged. "Aw, Lance, you actually care?" Veronica said, walking up behind me. I almost jumped two feet in the air. "Christ Ronny, don't do that!" She smiled "Why not? It's funny." "Hey V!" Pidge said with a smile, going to hug her. "Hey Pidge. How ya doin'?" I'm good." "Hey, why didn't I get a hug?" I whined. Pidge smirked "Because you don't deserve one." "Bully." She just smiled. "But seriously, where's Keith?" Veronica said, suddenly serious. The other shrugged "We don't know. He should be here by now." Kinkade said. 

Ronny sighed "James, don't you know where he is?" James hook his head "I honestly have no id-" then he pitched forward, stumbling. I saw a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders and smiled. "Keith!" He whined, and said boy smiled. Keith had a nice smile. "Hi James." James had steadied himself, and was now holding him piggyback style. "Keith! There you are! We were starting to get worried. Where were you?" Hunk asked, and Keith shrugged, climbing off James back, but still not leaving his side. "With Adam. He gave me this speech about how he's proud of me, and Shiro would be too. Then he started getting all teary eyed, and I had to try and comfort him." Pidge nodded "Huh. So I'm guessing he's the mom in your family dynamic?" Keith nodded "Yeah, pretty much." "Well, it was great catching up with you all, but I still have to put my stuff in my room. Later." Rizavi said, leaving with Ina. I had honestly forgotten that she was there. She was super quiet. "Hey Keith, get this, Lance was worried about you." Ronny said with a smile. Keith raised an eyebrow "Really? Loverboy Lance was worried about me? Well I hope I didn't cause you any trouble." "No, but I can't beat you if you're not here." Keith rolled his eyes "Lance, you can't beat me. We're not even in the same classes." "So?" Hunk sighed "Here we go. Come on Lance, lets go put your stuff in our room. You can bug Keith later." He said, leading me away from the others. "Seriously you have to let go of this whole rivalry thing. You guys said that you'd try and be friends and get along. Blaming him for the Garrison not having enough room in a class is not being friendly." I sighed. "I know. I just really wanted to be a fighter pilot." "And you still might be. Just not right now. Now come on, we need to organize our stuff. I'll even let you have the top bunk." I smiled. Hunk was right. I didn't even have him in my classes anymore. Why worry about him?

Veronica POV

After Lance and Hunk left, I turned towards James and Keith, wjo had their arms wrapped around each other. "Okay, what really happened this summer?" The two boys went light pink and smiled. "Nothing important." "Did yall fuck?" Pidge deadpanned. "For the last time, NO." James said, clearly annoyed. "Okay, then what happened? It had to be more than rides and friendly competition." Kinkade said, staring at the two. "Seriously, nothing happened! We stayed home, watched Netflix-"Keith said, and I cut him off. "But what about that dinner? Was it a date?" I asked, and I immediatley knew I had struck gold. Both turned an even brighter shade of pink, and James sighed "Yes! It was a date! Why do you guys care so much?" "Because I need to know when to start writing my best man speech. And when I'll need a tuxedo." Kinkade said with a smile. Pidge laughed "Oh, I can see it now. "Beautiful violet" flowers, "golden brown" table cloths, rainbow rings." Kinkade laughed "Yeah, The speech could start off like "I've know these two lovesick idiots for years, and the dumbasses were in love from day one, then hopelessly pinned after each other for years." Yeah, that'd be good." James groaned and Keith buried his face in his hands. We laughed "Guys, stop. We're 17! Well, I am. Keith's not even 17! Stop with the marriage talk!" James said exasperatedly. I put my hands up "Chill dude. But sure. We'll stop." "For now." Pidge said with a smirk, and James rolled his eyes. I smiled to myself. This was looking like a pretty good year. Me and my friends were going to be fighter pilots, Shiro and the Holts would be coming back. Yeah, this would be a good year.

Boy, I wish I knew how wrong I was.


	72. Some Suggestions Lead to Results

James POV

I groaned and stretched. Keith was still fast asleep, clinging to my waist. We had gotten into the habit of cuddling before bed, and always ended up sleeping together. Keith's bed was basically storage now. After detangling myself from him, I got up, brushed my teeth, changed, the usual. Today was the first day of class. We'd start our new courses, and begin our fighter pilot training.

After I woke him up, we went to the cafeteria where the others were waiting. "Ahh, there you gays are! You ready for class?" Veronica asked, and I shook my head, sitting down. "No. Wanna go back ta sleep." Keith murmered, burying his face in my shoulder. "Aw come on guys! First day as fighter pilots! Isn't it exciting? And get this, we get a free period this year." Rizavi said with a smile. "Really?" I asked in shock. A free period? That meant one less class for me to take! "When?" "I don't know. We got fifth. But still, it's one less class!" I smiled "Yes!" "I know right? Maybe we'll get another one next year." Kinkade said with a smile. "Well, since we're most likely graduating next year, we might not have any. But, we're supposed to be able to leave without supervision." Ina said, a small smile on her face. The others looked at me suggestivley, and I shook my head. "I know what you guys are thinking. No, no, and no." Veronica shrugged, smirking. "Whatever you say." I sighed. I'd be hearing about this for the rest of the year.

And I was right. For the next two months they bugged me about it nonstop. And only when I was alone, never when I was with Keith. Apparently, they even told Pidge about it, who took it to a whole new level. She started bugging me about it in science. "So, James, what are you guys gonna do for Keith's birthday next year?" My eyes widened. "You know, I'm sure it'll be legal." She said, waggling her eyebrows. I buried my face in my hands "Pidge, no. Please, STOP!" I groaned, and she smirked. "See, I'm sure that'll be one of the noises made." "PIDGE!" I whisper yelled, and she smiled. "What? I'm just being realistic. And V told me what Shiro said. He gave you permission dude." "Pidge, no. Just stop. It's kinda creepy how involved you guys are in me and Keith's relationship." She raised an eyebrow "Dude, we knew all about your relationship before you guys did. Need I remind you, you gays both ranted to us about the other for two fucking YEARS before you told each other. Then, you didn't even tell us you were dating at first. We've invested a lot of time into your relationship, and we expect results." I sighed "Pidge, we're not one of your programs. You can't make us do anything." "No, but I can push you in the right direction, with innocent little suggestions." I rolled my eyes "Your suggestions are anything but innocent. Goodbye." I said, finishing that awkward conversation. 

I headed to me and Keith's room, and was surprised to find him their. "Hey babe." I said, dropping my stuff on the desk and sitting next to him on the couch. "Hey Griff. What's up?" I groaned "Pidge." "Ah. She being suggestive again?" I raised an eyebrow "She does that with you too?" He nodded and chuckled "Oh yeah. And Rizavi. And Kinkade. And Veronica. And Ina too, surprisingly. And Adam's said a few things. So basically everyone but Hunk." "Wow." I was surprised. I thought they just did that to mess with me. It was both comforting and weird knowing that they did it to Keith too. "Really? Do they do it a lot?" He nodded, turning pink. "Yeah. Basically every time I talk to them. But they've really gotten into my head." Shit. Alarms started going off in my head. Did he want to do.. **that** already? "Uh, really? How?" I asked nervously. I don't know what I'd do if he said what I thought he was going to. "With the whole "doing it on my birthday thing". That might be nice." I almost sighed in relief. "For real?" Keith nodded, turning pink. "Yeah. I don't want to spend my birthday with anyone other than you. And if we say we did it, maybe they'll stop bugging us about it." I nodded "Yeah, uh, okay." His eyes widened in surprise "Really?" I nodded, feeling my own face heat up as well "Uh, yeah, why not?" He hugged me excitedly, then started smothering my face in kisses, everywhere but my mouth. "Aw, come on, remember what I told you." He pulled back "What exactly? You've told me a lot of things." I smiled, pulling him into my lap. "If you're gonna kiss me, do it right." And pulled him into a kiss.

*slight smut, not good cause this is my first time writing it, carry on* 

We started making out, and Keith began subconsiously grinding against me. Or maybe he wasn't. Either way, it felt good. I groaned into the kiss, and Keith took the opportunity to slip his tounge into my mouth. He continued grinding against me, and I could feel myself getting hard. "Mhhm, Keith, stop." I mumbled into the kiss. I definetly didn't want to walk around the Garrison half hard. But Keith didn't stop. In fact, he started grinding against me even harder, rocking his hips back and forth, pulling me closer, deepening the kiss. When we finally pulled away, we were both gasping for breath, and a thin string of saliva connected our mouths. Keith smiled mischeviously "Someone's happy." I was now fully hard, and with him being in my lap, he could definently tell. "Mhm, that's your fault." He tilted his head "Is it? I'm not the one who's hard." "Yeah, but you're the one that made it that way." "Hmm, then maybe I have to fix it." I felt my face heat, and Keith smiled devilishly. "Uh, I-what? I mean. Keith-" I stuttered out. He continued smiling, and resumed grinding against me. "What Griff? Do you not want me to?" My face was red hot now "Keith I-" "Come on Griff, make up your mind. Do you want me to or not?" I nodded. "Yeah. Ugh, Kitten do it." Keith smiled and slowly climbed off my lap, and began undoing my pants. He got on his knees in front of me, and HOLY SHIT he looked hot. Cheeks flushed, eyes looking up at me, seemingly innocently. He continued smiling and slowly coaxed my throbbing erection out of my pants and near his mouth. Then, without warning, he put it in. It felt amazing. Words can't even describe it. "Ahh~, fuck, Keith." I moaned, running my hands through his hair. He continued blowing me off, and when I finally came, he swallowed it like it was nothing. I can't imagine how bad that must've tasted. I leaned back on the couch and sighed while Keith closed my pants. "Fuck, where'd you learn to do that?" I asked, and Keith shrugged, sitting next to me. "Nowhere. Why? Did you like it?" I nodded "Yeah. And could tell you did too, ya little shit." Keith shrugged and smiled "Maybe. I'm gonna go shower."

He left, and I started after him. My boyfriend, the hot as fuck, top of his class fighter pilot, could also give an amazing blowjob. I was the luckiest fucking guy in the world.


	73. December

Shiro POV

Me, Matt and Mr'Holt had been out in space for about eight months now, and were getting closer and closer to Kerberos. "Dad! Shiro! I can see it!" Matt called out excitedly. Me and Mr.Holt floated towards the window. I smiled brightly. this was it. We were finally there. And it was before schedule, which meant that wed get home sooner! I'd be home in time for Keith's 18th birthday! "YES!" I yelled, pushing off the wall and doing a flip. "We're almost there!" Mr.Holt laughed "Yes Shiro, we're almost there. We'll probably land in a day or two, then we'll collect the samples for a week or so, then head back." "Wait, what time are we gonna get home?" Matt asked, and Mr.holt shrugged. "I honestly don't know. The samples will add weight to the ship, so it might take longer than if just us went back. But we're here ahead of schedule, so we'll probably still make it back around the same time." "Will we make it back before October?" I asked, suddenly worried. I had promised Keith I'd be back in time for his birthday, and I was going to keep that promise. "I can't say for certain. But it is highly possible." Mr'Holt said with a smile. "Yes!" I said, and I tackled them both in a hug. This was the best day of the mission so far. We'd be on our way home soon. I'd see Adam again. I was officially the happiest person alive.

Time skip

One week later

Me and Matt readied the drills. This would be one of the last few samples we'd be taking, then we'd start the long journey home. "Alright, ready?" Mr.Holt asked, and I nodded, backing away from the drill. "Alright." He started pushing buttons, and it started drilling. We got the sample out, and were about to load it into one of our storage capsules when a dark shadow fell on us. I looked up and saw an unfamiliar ship above us. It was gray, black and some kind of neon purple or pink, with a sleek design. "Uhh, guys, what's that?" Matt asked, sounding afraid. "Maybe it's aliens." I snickered, and Mr.Holt shot me a serious look. "It might be Shiro. Maybe they're friendly. But just in case, get back to the ship, now." He ordered. "But what about the samples?" I asked. "We have enough. Let's just go." "But-" Several figures dropped from the ship, armed with what looked like guns. "Shit." I muttered. Mr'Holt went into protective dad mode. "GO GO GO! BACK TO THE SHIP!" He yelled, and we began running towards the ship. But it was too far away. We'd never make it in time. "Ahh!" I heard behind me, and when I looked back, Matt was lying on the ground. "NO! MATT!" Mr.Holt yelled, and I ran towards him. I wasn't about to let Pidge lose her brother. But before I got there, something bright and glowing hit my chest. I fell back, and everything went black.

I woke up as I was thrown on my knees. The bag or cloth over my head was removed, and I saw Matt and Mr.Holt next to me, seemingly uninjured. In front of and all around us were these strange creatures in what looked like armor. They looked almost human. But when the one in front turned around, I gasped. They had purple fur, cat-like ears, and sharp teeth. "I am Sendak, commander in the Galran fleet. What are you creatures?" "Sir, we're humans from the planet Earth. Please, we come in peace, we mean no harm-" I started, but a solider hit me in the head with the butt of hid weapon. "Silence scum. You weren't given permission to speak." "These creatures are of no interest to me. Send them to the arena. Maybe they'll be good fighters." That's when Mr.Holt spoke up "Please, we're scientist. We can't fight." "Maybe you can't old man, but your companions appear young and healthy. Send them to the arena. Send this one to the labs. Maybe he'll be useful. We do need more quintessence." "Yes sir." the troops chanted. They grabbed us roughly and threw me and Matt in some kind of cell. they took Mr.Holt somewhere else. "Shiro, what's going to happen to us?" Matt asked, voice wavering. I sighed "I don't know. But I don't think we'll be going home any time soon."


	74. Bad News

James POV

The last few months had passed quickly. Christmas was next week, and excitement was in the air. Keith's birthday had come and gone, and for it, me him and Adam had gone stargazing with the hover bikes. He tried not to make a big deal out of it, cause Shiro wasn't there, but we still got him little gifts. A little hippo keychain, a few bucks, and lots of Sour Patch Kids and Hot Cheetos. He apparently really liked the jacket I had gotten him for Christmas, and had fallen into the habit of wearing it almost everyday. We were all doing pretty good in our classes, but we hung out with Pidge, Hunk and Lance less. We were mostly with Kinkade, Veronica, Rizavi and Ina. They were still making the jokes, but we mostly ignored them. Keith hadn't done **that** again, but we still were all "lovey dovey" all the time. (Pidge's words, not mine.)

Anyway, Iverson had called the entire Garrison to the cafeteria for a special assembly. No one knew what it was for, not even Adam. As we went to sit down, Keith, Adam and Pidge were pulled aside. They were seated in the front, along with Mrs.Holt. Me and Kinkade shared a questioning look, and sat behind them. Veonica, Lance, Hunk, Rizavi and Ina sat with us. After everyone was seated, Iverson stepped to the podium. You knew the second you saw his face that it was bad news. He had bags under his eyes, and in his eyes were layers of pain and sadness. "Good evening Cadets. I-I have some bad news." He took a deep breath and wiped at his eyes. "As of a week ago, we lost, we lost contact with the Kerberos mission." You could tell that Iverson was holding back tears, and a gasp went up from the crowd. They hadn't made contact in a week? That could only mean one thing. "Our, our team tried contacting them numerous times to no avail. They managed to access the cameras, and saw no one. The cameras on the outside showed, um, they showed reckage. It is believed that there was an pilot error, and the ship crashed. There were no signs of astronauts Shirogane, Matthew or Holt. they're believed to be..." He took a shakey breath "They're believed to be-to be dead." A silence fell over the crowd, and Iverson's face broke. Tears fell down his face, and he stared down at the podium. "I-I'm so sorry for the families and friends of the astronauts. And, and due to the- the distance, and-and apparent danger of going there, we cannot send a spacecraft to retrieve the bodies. I-I'm, I'm so sorry." He stuttered out, and left the podium. I stared in shock. Shiro, Matt and Mr.Holt were gone? No, no no no no. I looked at Keith and Pidge, and they looked like they had just been shot. Adam had leaned over, and had his face buried in his hands. His shoulders were shaking, and I realized that he was crying. Mrs.Holt rubbed his back, tears streaming down her face. Me and the others exchanged a look. This changed everything. 

They wouldn't be coming home. Ever. And we had to comfort our friends.People started leaving, probably to process this information. But the Holts, Adam and Keith stayed in place. I think they were in too much shock to move. I stepped through the chairs and sat next to Keith. "Keith?" He looked up at me, and my heart felt like it was breaking. His normally bright eyes were shining with unshed tears, the light inside then gone, replaced with sadness and pain, and he was shaking a bit. "He-he's g-gone. James, Shiro's g-gone." He leaned into my shoulder, and I pulled him into a hug. I just held him silently, rubbing his back soothingly as he cried into my shirt. Adam and Mrs.Holt were in a similar position, holding on to each other and crying. Veronica and Hunk were comforting Pidge, as the others stood to the side. "Oh my god." Kinkade whispered. "Keith I'm so sorry." Keith didn't respond. He had stopped crying for now, but he was still clinging to me, like he was afraid that I'd leave too. Lance placed his hand on Kinkade's shoulder. "Lets leave them alone for now. I think James, Ronny and Hunk got this." Kinkade nodded, and him, Lance, Rizavi and Ina left. I sighed, still holding Keith "I'm sorry." He nodded into my shoulder, but remained silent. 

This year had started off great, and it had looked like everything was going to go right. Shiro would come back, we'd become fighter pilots. But then this happened. And I knew that things would never be the same. Everything was about to change.


	75. Lies

Iverson POV

I splashed some water on my face, trying to wash away the tear stains from earlier. I felt terrible, having to tell everyone that the astronauts wouldn't be coming home. Especially when it might be a lie. Yes, there had been wreckage, but it didn't look like a man-made scene. No, it looked like there had been some sort of weapon fired, and we were trying to figure out what. Camera footage showed some kind of shadow going overhead, and somethings falling to the ground. But you couldn't see what. I wiped my face and went to sit at my desk. I couldn't get their faces out of my head. Adam looked heartbroken. The man he had fallen in love with and was supposed to marry was gone. Mrs.Holt had lost her husband and her son. Katie had lost her father and brother. I had know Mr.Holt for many years, and had watched Matt and Katie grow up together. But Keith, Keith's reaction hurt most of all. 

He, unlike his brother, had alarming violet eyes, that normally shone with hope and excitement. But today, that light had been put out. Replaced with layer of pain, sadness and anguish. His brother, his only living family member, was gone. And the excuse of pilot error? Shiro was the best pilot of his generation, and Keith was looking like he'd be the best of his. And with the "error", it made it seem like Shiro was largely responsible for the mission failure. But I knew that it wasn't true. And he probably did too, along with Katie.

A knock on the door inturrupted my thought. "Come in." I called. The door opened to reveal Admiral Sanda. "Hello Iverson. Nice show out there today. You made it look real. Now pull yourself together soldier. You have a job to do." I glared at her "It wasn't a show. We don't even know if they're alive. And work can wait. And so can the classes. People need time to mourn." Her eyes narrowed "You will work when I tell you. I am your commanding officer. And the people can work and mourn at the same time. preparations have already begun for a memorial service, and the families have been notified." She headed towards the door, but I stood, now angry "You can't just announce that they're dead and then bury it! The press will want to know! The families will want an investigation! These people just lost their loved ones! Katie and Mrs.Holt, father and son. Adam, his future husband. And Keith? The kid you were so impressed with? Shiro's his brother! His only living relative! And now he's gone! Have a heart Sanda!" She suddenly stopped, and turned towards me, her eyes like daggers. "That is exactly what I'm going to do. When something dies, you bury it. That's how it goes. The press will know what the cadets know, nothing more, nothing less. There will be NO investigation, because this is government property and a government institution. I understand that losses have been suffered, but that's the price of discovery. They knew the risks when they signed up, and they agreed with them. Remember your place soldier. Or you may be next to go." She turned on her heel and marched towards the door.

I sighed and sank into my chair once more. That bitch. Did she even have a heart? She had me deliver soul-crushing news about three people dying, then wants to move along, back to buisness as usual? That wasn't happening. I knew for a fact that Shiro and Adam had some hard liquor, and that Adam would have a hard time processing it all. I couldn't even imagine what it might be like for the Holts and Keith. They'd never be the same again. Nothing would.


	76. Memorial

** * _WARNING_ : brief mention of self harm* **

Keith POV

The next few days were all a blur. I remember a lot of hugging and crying, but not much else. Adam did most of the crying, I just sat in silence, trying not to scream. We were headed to the memorial service that was being held for Shiro, Matt, and Mr.Holt. I sat in the car with Adam, Pidge and Mrs.Holt in silence. Me and Adam were in suits, and the Holts were in dresses. Pidge rarely wore dresses, along with her mother. The suit I had was one Shiro had picked for me to wear to him and Adam's wedding, which now would never happen. It was a little big, but it was the only suit I owned. Adam had on a rumpled suit, from I don't know where, and his hair was flat. He reeked like he hadn't showered in days, and you could faintly smell booze. He had probably gotten into Shiro's stash. But luckily, he didn't have much, and he'd sobered up for the service. I gave it a few weeks at most before he got back into a new normal, possibly involving a beer or two. But Crutis would wean him off of it. He was a nice guy, and he knew Adam back from their Garrison days. Mrs.Holt would help herself and Pidge. And me? I didn't know what would happen to me. Everything from the past few days was blurry. Like the world was background noise. What Iverson said kept playing through my head, over and over again, on repeat. I couldn't get it out of my head.

The service went quickly. They were given full military honors. I remember a long speech about how there sacrifice wasn't in vain, and how they were heroes. They gave Adam Shiro's other set of dog tags, along with a flag in a box. Me and Adam stood and placed some flowers on the empty casket, then watched silently as they were lowered into the ground. The others were there too, but farther back. When we got back to the Garrison, everyone gathered in the cafeteria. We were swarmed by friends and family alike, along with people we didn't know. Everyone was telling us how sorry they were, and asking us how we were doing. Pidge and her mom were greeted by two older couples, and his fellow coworkers consoled Adam, who had begun crying.

I couldn't stand the sight of it anymore, so I went to room. I laid in my bed, staring at the ceiling. Then everything from the past few days came crashing down on me, and I started crying. I was full on sobbing, body shaking, big, fat tears running down my face. I staggered into the bathroom, and looked into the mirror. I was shocked by what I saw. I had small bags under my eyes, and my cheeks were red and blotchy. I had little stubs of hair on my chin, and my eyes looked like a crazy man's. I reached for my razor, hand shaking. I almost had it to my face when I dropped it, and it cut the side of my hand. I hissed in pain, but then stopped. The skin where it had cut had almost no blood, and it was already scabbing over. For the first time in almost a week, I had felt something, if only momentarily, other than sadness. I pulled up part of my sleeve, and shakily raised the razor towards it, but I stopped. I had heard about people doing this. They got addicted to it, like a drug, and didn't stop. Sometimes it even killed them. Hands shaking, I put the razor down. No, I wouldn't do it. I had Adam, and James, and Pidge, and Kinkade. They'd help me get through this. I didn't need to do it. I wouldn't. I left the bathroom before I changed my mind, and returned to the cafeteria.

To my surprise, I saw Micheal, John and our foster parents. They were talking to Adam, who, for the first time in a while, was smiling and laughing. When they saw me they smiled "Keith! It's so good to see you!" Our mom cried out, pulling me into a hug. I chuckled "Hi Mom." Yes, that right, I called this set of foster parents mom and dad. What? They had earned it. They made me feel like I was part of the family, and they did whatever they could to make me and Shiro comfortable. "Oh, you've gotten so big. Ah, still keeping your hair long I see." I smiled "Yeah." "And from what I hear, you have a boyfriend now too?" My dad said. I felt my face heat up a bit and I nodded. "Yeah." "Well, bring him over. I wanna meet him. Make sure he's treating you right." Micheal smiled "Yeah, I wanna meet this kid. Must be pretty nice if your picky ass likes him." I had been a really picky eater when I was younger, and it had made dinners somewhat complicated. But I had gotten over it. I sighed "Fine. I'll go get him." I left them and began searching for James. When I finally found him, he was sitting in a corner with Kinkade, Veronica, Rizavi and Ina. "James come on, my family wants to meet you." He raised an eyebrow "Wait, what?" I rolled my eyes "My foster family came down for the memorial and they want to meet you." A look of realization swept over his face "Ohhh. Okay. Later guys." I took his hand and we began back towards my parents. They'd really like James. He was polite, and always formal when it came to adults. 

*quick description of foster family*

Micheal- Black hair, taller than Keith, about same height as James, lean

John-Little taller than Adam, black hair, muscley

Mom- short black hair, about Adam's height

Dad- buzzcut, black hair, Adam's height

*Alright carry on*

"Hey Keith, how come I haven't met them before?" I shrugged "They live out in the country, and its a pretty long drive. And they have work and stuff." He nodded and we continued walking. When him and Micheal spotted each other, their jaws dropped. "Micheal?" "James?" Then they smiled and hugged each other. "Dude, where you been?" Micheal asked, smiling. "Here. Long time no see." James responded with a smile. "So, you're my lil bro's boyfriend. Finally got over Matthew." James rolled his eyes "Please, he was in love with you. Besides, Keith's way better." Micheal's jaw dropped again, and his face went pink. "He what?" James rolled his eyes "He liked you, you idiot. Looking back, it kinda makes sense." Micheal continued gaping like a fish. "Okay, what's happening?" I asked, stepping forward. "Oh, right." James said, turning towards me. "This is the Micheal that Matthew liked. And apparently he never told him." I just stared at him in shock. "Really?" I asked, and James nodded. "Really." Meanwhile, Micheal was a blushing mess and looking like he was about to have a panic attack. "Wait, Matthew liked me? He liked- fuck it all makes sense now- oh my god! Shit shit shit shit." "Micheal, you good?" He looked at me and smiled "Yeah. It's just a lot to process, you know? My best friend who James liked once and moved to North Carolina liked me?" John patted him on the back. "You're fine. Stop having a bisexual panic. Here." He said, handing him a phone "Go call him. and calm down." He smiled at me and James "He does that sometimes. Anyway, this is James?" I nodded. "Not bad. You seem like a nice kid. " Then his expression went dark "But if you hurt him I will find you. I'm a fifth degree black belt in Taekwondo, and can make it look like an accident." Then he smiled "So, anything else interesting happen while I was gone?" I shook my head "No. You? Anything happen with Rosio?" He smiled and flashed me his ring hand, which had a wedding band. "We got married." My jaw dropped and I smiled brightly "Dude thats amazing!" "Congratulations man." James said. "Thanks. What about you guys? You have matching rings." **(Yes, I remember the rings. James had his around his neck on a chain that's normally tucked into his shirt, but isn't today, and Keith wears his on his right hand.)** "Oh, yeah. We got these at Cornyval."

We continued talking, and I was happy. Yes, Shiro was gone, but maybe I'd be okay. Yeah, I had done a full 360 from how I was before, but people could do that to you. Especially people you cared about. But I couldn't do what I had considered earlier. It would make Adam so sad, and it would break James's heart. I had to stay strong. Not give in.


	77. Why Keith?

He gave in.

James POV

The last three months have been pretty hard. For a while, Adam would come to class either smelling like booze or with bloodshot eyes from crying all night. Pidge was visibly sleep deprived, and was running on coffee. Mrs.Holt had moved into her husbands room, and was taking care of them both, and herself. you could tell that they cried together, but she was always able to pull them out of it. She weaned Adam of the achohal, and got Pidge sleeping again. But Keith was the worst of them. He had become quiet, and withdrawn. He spent almost all his free time in our room, and almost never talked to anyone. Except for me, the Holts, Adam, and sometimes Kinkade. But they were always small, quick responses, nothing longer than a few words. When we slept, sometimes he'd start shaking, or wake up breathing heavily and crying. Then I had to calm him down. He never said what he dreamed about, he just nodded and laid back down. Apparently he was always cold too, since he never stopped wearing long sleeves, even as it got into spring.

One day, after class, instead of going to our room with him like usual, I hung out with the others for a while. They asked how Keith was doing, and I just shrugged. I told them about his shaking and nightmares, and they looked so sad. They kept asking if there was anything they could do, and I couldn't give them answer. I didn't even know what to do. As we continued talking about it, I felt myself tearing up. "I-i just don't know what to do. He never talks, he barely sleeps. What do I do? God I'm a terrible boyfriend. I can't even help him get through this." I said, burying my face in my hands. "Hey no, don't say that. No one know what to do. Everyone has different ways of coping, and this is his." Veronica said, rubbing my back. "Yeah, and you're not a bad boyfriend. Most people would've given up on him by now. You haven't." Kinkade said, and I nodded, face still in my hands. "Yeah. And trust me, he'd be much worse if he didn't have you." Rizavi said. "He might resort to less favorable ways of coping." Ina said, and I lifted my head "Like what?" She shrugged "Well, I don't want to scare you, but there's drugs, achohal, possibly, in order to feel something other than sadness, cutting or self-inflected harm. Normally on the forearms, particularly the wrist." 

My eyes widened and I got up and began running to our room "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck." I muttered as I ran. Now it made sense. The long sleeves, the silences, the long times alone in the room. Keith was cutting. Tears brewed in my eyes, waiting to be shed. I ran into our room and threw open the bathroom door. Inside, Keith was on the floor, crying. A small razor blade laid on the edge of the sink, and little cuts ran up and down his arms. Some were faint scars, others were fresh and bleeding a bit. My heart dropped. I fell to my knees beside him, hot tears running down my face. "Keith...Kitten, why?" His eyes met my own, and they were filled with sadness. "James..James I'm so sorry." He fell into me, and we held each other, crying. "Why Kitten? Why?" I muttered, over and over again. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He said on repeat.We stayed there for a while, tears running down our faces, shaking. I heard footsteps, and turned to see Adam, Kinkade, Rizavi and Ina in the door. Their faces fell when they saw us, and Adam's eyes brimmed with tears. "Keith.." "Hey guys. What happening?" Pidge said, walking in. "Did I not get invited to a party or...." She trailed off, spotting us. Hey eyes widened and she froze. Veronica appeared next to her "Pidge, you goo- Keith?" Her voice broke. Adam sat besides us, tears streaming down his face. "Keith...Keith why?" Keith looked up to his, sadness and sorrow in his eyes "Adam... I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean- I'm sorry." Adam nodded "I know. Come on, lets get out of here." He held out this hand, which Keith took, and led him to the bed. I stayed on the bathroom floor, processing.

Keith had been cutting this entire time, and I hadn't noticed. I hadn't said or done anything. I raked my hand through my hair. I really was a bad boyfriend. And now Keith had scars, physically and emotional. But now wasn't the time for self pity. Now, I had to help Keith. I stood and splashed some water on my face, wiping away the tear stains. In our room, Adam and Kinkade were talking to Keith, and everyone else had left. When he saw me, Kinkade nodded and left. I sat next to Keith, and he stared at the ground. "Keith..why didn't you tell me?" I asked, voice breaking. "Because I didn't want to. I knew how sad this would make you. I-I tried to stop, but I couldn't." I nodded silently. "Keith, if there's every anything, anything at all, that you need, you have me. And James. We love you Keith. We're here for you. But promise me, promise me, that you'll never do this again. Keith, can you promise me that?" Keith nodded "I promise." Adam smiled softly. "Good." He kissed his head and stood "I have to go now. But I'll be back later, okay? I'm not leaving anytime soon." He left, and we sat in silence for a minute. Then Keith broke the silence. "It's okay if you don't want to date me anymore. You don't have to if you don't want to." For the second time that day, my heart dropped. "Kitten, of course I still want to date you. Why wouldn't I?"He looked at me "Because of this. Because of all of this. Everyone I love always gets hurt. It's dangerous to love me. I don't want you to get hurt." I shook my head "Kitten, I love you. I always will. And it'd hurt me to leave you. I'm not leaving." "Really?" I nodded "Really." For the first time in awhile, Keith smiled. "Thanks James." I smiled and kissed his head "No problem Kitten. Now get some sleep." He nodded and laid down. I covered him with my fuzzy blanket, and headed towards the door. "Wait, James." i turned "What is it Kitten?" I asked, and he smiled softly. "Can you stay with me?" I smiled "Of course." I climbed into bed with him and held him in my arms. He soon fell asleep. He looked so at peace. So calm. His breathing was steady, and it didn't look like he was having a nightmare. I'd have to ask him about those someday. But not today. That was a talk for another time. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep, my Kitten in my arms.

I'm sorry. Have some videos 


	78. He's Back

Kinkade POV 

After the whole cutting scare, Keith slowly became more and more like his usual self. He was still pretty quiet and moody, but he wasn't holed up in his room anymore. He smiled, and sometimes,he even laughed. Him and James fell into their normal rhythm, and a few times they both had some marks on their neck too. He somehow became an even better pilot, but almost ignored his actual classwork. As the year wore on, our classes became more and more difficult. We hung out less and less, especially with Lance and Hunk. Lance also made up some kind of rivalry with Keith, always trying to beat him at everything. When the end of the year came, we couldn't be so relieved. This fucked up year was almost over. 

We had EOCs, some kind of fitness test, and a flying test. They were gonna test us in the simulators to see if we still "deserved" our ranking in the class. They'd be putting us in groups, combing the fighter and cargo ppilots. I had James, Rizavi, Ina, Veronica and a few others in my group. Lance, Hunk and Keith were all in the same group, and I knew that there'd be trouble. Keith was sleep deprived and stressed,and Lance was, well, Lance. He was top of the cargo pilot class, and that had made his cocky and arrogant. 

When our group went, we all completed the tasks with ease, and waited outside for the others to finish. But they never came. At least, not together. Iverson came out, dragging Keith by his upper arm. He had a bruise forming on his cheek, and blood on his knuckles. When he saw James, he immediately pointed his eyes at the ground. The Crutis came out, holding Lance by his shoulder. He had a bloody nose and looked pissed. James and Veronica's faces fell. They had gotten into a fight. And from the looks of it, Keith had won. But at what cost?

Hunk came out next, along with the rest of the group. "Hunk what happened?" I asked. He looked shocked, and shook his head lightly. "It was crazy. Lance said something, and Keith just went ballistic." "What'd he say?" James asked, voice shaking. Hunk looked concerned cYou don't want to know." "Hunk, what did he say?" James asked, his voice stern. His eyes were cold and his whole body was tense. Hunk sighed "Well, it wont make sense unless I tell you everything that happened."


	79. Fight

Hunk POV 

"Well, first off, Lance wasn't happy that Keith was in our group. He was grumbling about it all day. Then when it was finally our turn, he shut up. He went, and did pretty good. Then Keith was next, cause alphabetical order, and Keith got almost double his score. Then Keith started messing around, doing unnecessary tricks, but still passing. Iverson got mad and told him to focus on the work, not showing off. But he didn't, and Iverson got mad. He turned of the simulator, and lined us up. Then he started lecturing us about respecting authority and stuff like that. Lance, being Lance, obviously thought it was all Keith's fault. He got mad and started mumbling stuff under his breath, and since Keith was right next to him, he heard him. Then he said "You got a problem Lance?" "Yeah. It's you. This is your fault." "No problem." "We all know the only reason you're here is because of Shiro." Obviously he got mad."I can outfly anyone in this room." Then Lance smirked and said "Oh yeah, is that what mommy and daddy told you before they-" And then Keith decked him. Honestly, it was terrifying. He tackled him and started punching him. He looked like an animal. I swear, his eyes flashed yellow for a second. Iverson and Crutis had to rip him off of Lance. I thought Keith was gonna kill him." I finished. 

James looked shocked. Veronica looked disappointed "Oh god. Why would Lance do that? He knows Keith could actually kill him. Why? I'm going to kill my brother." "Not if I kill him first." James growled. "Whoa, you don't want to do that."Kinkade said."Then Veronica will kill you, and you'll get in trouble." "I don't care. He's being a jackass,and someone needs to call him out on it." James growled."No, trust me, my family will take care of that. They'll be calling them about this, and he'll get in trouble." Veronica said, putting her hand on James's shoulder. "Fine." 

Later that moment, Lance walked over to us, eyes on the ground. James and glared at him, but didn't do anything. "Lance.." Veronica started, standing. "What the hell were you thinking?" She finished, smacking him in the head. Ow! What the hell Ronny?" "What the hell me? What the hell you! You not only brought up Shiro, you brought up his parents too? You fucking idiot! Mami and Abuela are going to kill you!" Lance hung his head. "I know. But he always better at everything than me! It's not fair!" He whined. 'Lance, I'm with Veronica on this one. You went too far." Lance sighed "I know. I'll apologize. But he's still in there. Iverson said they need to talk." Silence fell, and tension hung in the air. It was one thing to get into a fight, it was another to get held back for a "talk" with Iverson. This wouldn't be good.


	80. Lighten the Fuck Up

Keith POV 

When Iverson said we needed to talk, I knew I was in trouble. "Keith, have a seat." He said. I glared at him "I'd rather stand." He sighed, sitting in his chair "Fine. Have it your way. Do you know why I held you back?" "No." I said, crossing my arms. "Keith, I held you back because of your recent, ah, issues. I understand that Shiro's... passing, has affected you. Greatly. But even with the circumstances, you should still be performing well in ALL of your classes. If I'm not mistaken, you're at the top of your flying class, right?" I nodded "Yeah. What does this have to do with anything?" Iverson sighed "Keith, if you can do well in that class, you should be able to so well in your other classes. If your performance in your academics doesn't improve, we might have to suspend you from your flying class." "WHAT?" I yelled, dropping my arms. "I'm sorry Keith, but its true." "You can't do that! I NEED to be in that class." "Keith, I understand. Its how you feel close to Shiro. But if-" "No ,it doesn't being me closer to Shiro. And you have no fucking idea what its been like. He was the only fucking family I had, and cause of you people dumb missions, he's GONE!" Iverson stood. "WATCH YOUR TONE CADET!" "NO, I WON'T FUCKING WATCH MY TONE YOU ASSHOLE! FIRST YOU PEOPLE TAKE MY BROTHER, NOW YOU TAKE AWAY THE ONE THING I'M CONSTANTLY GOOD AT! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" "SHUT YOUR MOUTH CADET!" Iverson yelled. Then he sighed "Look, Keith, I'm sorry, but part of being enrolled here is keeping up your grades. I have to suspend you until you bring them up again. And your dicipline issue isn't helping either. Now go. You won't get another warning." I started walking out. "You know, I never had to give Shiro any warnings. He was a good student. Try and follow in his footsteps. He'd be disappointed in you if he saw you now." Iverson definitely knew how to make me mad. I turned and grabbed the nearest thing I could find and threw it at him. "JUST LIGHTEN THE FUCK UP!" I roared.

The object made contact, hitting Iverson in the face. "AAHUG! KOGANE, GET OUT IF MY OFFICE NOW! YOU'RE EXPELLED!" He yelled, holding his eye. "Fine. I don't want to be here anymore anyway." I spat, walking out.

I immediatley went to my room, and started packing my bags. As I did, I grumbled about Iverson. "Stupid son of a bitch.." I shoved a shirt in my bag. "Being an asshole.." Closed the first, now for the second. "Overreacting.." Shoved blanket in, along with my phone charger. "Fucking expelled." I was about to put my red jacket in my bag when I stopped. I had been expelled. I couldn't be in class at the Garrison anymore. No more flight simulator, no more seeing Adam everyday, no more hanging out with my friends after class. Oh god. My friends. James. No more seeing James everyday. No more bedtime cuddles or goodnight kisses. No more stolen touches, secret looks. And he was supposed to stay with his dad this summer, so I wouldn't see him then either. I looked at the jacket in my hands. It was the one he had given me for Christmas. I held it in my ring hand. James had given me one of these. Would he ever give me anything again? What if by getting expelled, I had ruined our relationship? No. I couldn't lose James. I wouldn't. I'd just have to sneak in. And next year, he could come and go as he pleased. We'd still be able to be together. We'd make it work. I sighed, and put the jacket in my bag, zipping it shut. I threw it over my shoulder and grabbed the other one. When I opened the door, I found a very mad looking Adam. "Expelled Keith? Really? And then you threw a lamp at Iverson? What were you thinking?" He asked, looking down at me dissaprovingly. So that's what I had throw at him. A lamp. And I had said "Lighten the fuck up." Huh. It was kinda poetic. But now wasn't the time for that. I hung my head "I'm sorry Adam. I didn't mean to." He sighed. "I know. But what's done is done. Come on. You can say goodbye to your friends, then I'm driving you home. I'll be trusting you to be alone for the next few days. Think you can handle that?" I nodded silently. "Good. Now, how are you going to explain this to James?" I shrugged. "I don't know. I'll wing it." Adam nodded. "Alright. Let's go."

We headed towards the lounge room, where we found James and the others, minus Lance. When they saw us, they stood. "Keith, what happened?" Hunk asked. "I got expelled." I said bluntly, and all their faces fell. James was the worst of them. He looked heartbroken. He sat back down, almost falling into his seat. He was probably thinking the same things I was earlier. No more kisses or cuddles. Or seeing each other everyday. His normally bright eyes filled with sadness. "Really?" Kinkade asked, and I nodded. "Really. I have to leave today." He nodded, and stepped forward to hug me, which I graciously accepted. "I guess this is goodbye." He said, pulling back. I nodded. "Yeah, For now. I'm sure I'll see you again." I then hugged Veronica, Rizavi, Ina, Hunk and Pidge, saying goodbye to all of them. 

Then I came to James. He stood and wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly and close. I squeezed him, not wanting to let go. "Do you really have to go?" He asked, voice wavering. "Yeah. I do. I'm sorry." I answered. "Dammit. This year just can't give us a break can it?" He said, pulling back. I shook my head. "I guess it can't." His eyes met mine, and I swear I could hear my heart breaking. He looked so sad and pained. Like he wanted to cry. "I'm gonna miss you." He said. I nodded, feeling myself tear up. "I know. I'll miss you too." I pulled him into another hug. "Just have fun, okay?" I said. "That's gonna be hard without you." He said, pulling back. I smiled softly. "I'm sure you'll be fine." I kissed him softly on the lips and he pulled me closer, kissing me harder before finally pulling away. Then I stepped back, holding his hand for as long as I could before it fell out of my grasp. Then I turned and walked away, Adam following me. I could feel all of their eyes on me, watching me as I left, possibly for the last time.

I wiped my eyes, trying as hard as I could to leave my tears unshed, but when we got in the truck, they all came flowing out. I cried, hard. Adam rubbed my back and held me silently, not sure what to say. And frankly, neither did I. This year had been the worst of my life, and I was only 17. Life just fucking hated me.


	81. Lonely

James POV

I watched Keith as him and Adam walked away. And I swear, it felt like part of my heart was leaving with him. I fell back in my seat, leaning forward on my elbows and putting my face in my hands. Keith was really gone. He'd been expelled. "Wow. I never thought Keith would get expelled." Rizavi said. "We also never thought that all the shit that happened this year would happen either. Life is full of surprises." Kinkade said, agreeing with her. I felt the tears in my eyes try and come out, but I wouldn't let them see me cry. I wiped my eyes. "Well nothing ever goes how we plan, does it?" I said, standing. "James, you good?" Veronica asked. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" I asked. She looked concerned. "You sure." I nodded. "Yeah." "Alright." She said, relenting. I obviously wasn't going to talk about it with them, if at all. "Well, okay. If you're sure you're fine, wanna go play Mario Kart?" Pidge asked. I nodded, along with the others, who all voiced their agreement. We started heading towards Pidge and Veronica's room, my thought swirling around in my head. Mostly about Keith. The pain was still fresh and raw. But I didn't know what to do. I couldn't exactly go to Iverson and demand that they let him back in, I would get kicked out too. I just had to adapt and adjust. I'd see Keith in the summer. And next year I could some and go as I pleased, I could visit him. Him and Adam lived not too far from the Garrison, it'd be easy. 

We got to Pidge's room and she started setting up the game. It took longer than usual, because she normally had Keith to help her with it, but he wasn't here. Lance joined us after Hunk texted him, and we began playing. Well, the other's began playing. I just watched. My mind was too jumbled to play well anyway. I just stared at the screen, barely registering the changes. I mostly just glared at Lance anyway. This was his fault. If he hadn't provoked Keith, he wouldn't have gone to the office and he wouldn't be expelled. I wanted to fucking kill him, but then Veronica would kill me, so I couldn't do that.

Around 9, the others were still going strong, doing race after race. But I was tired. Physically and emotionally. I had been holding back tears since Keith had left. I quietly slipped out and went to my room. I got ready and stared into. then I let the tears fall freely. Keith was really gone. This wasn't just a bad dream. It's not like he was dead, but he wasn't here. I wouldn't see him again for a while. I had to stay with my dad for a few weeks before I could visit him and Adam. Which meant no more night time cuddles, or good morning kisses. Reassuring touches and looks when I'm working. No more waking up to see him smile, no more hanging out with our friends. 

Pull yourself together Griffin! A voice in my head coached. He's not gone gone. You just won't see him today or tomorrow. But you'll see him again soon. It's not worth crying about. I would just try harder from now on. I'd be the best. I'd be top in class, I'd practice and study more. I could do this. I'd be fine. And I'd see Keith in a few weeks. We could still FaceTime and text. I'd be fine. I splashed some water on my face, washing away the tears and the trails they left behind. This wasn't worth crying about. Then I climbed in bed, and for the first time in almost two years, I slept alone. No one to cuddle or hold. 

Just me, without my Keith.


	82. Summer

James POV

I didn't sleep. At all. Lucky for me, it wasn't that noticeable. And I only had one more day of school this year, the I could go home and drown my sorrows in junk food and laziness. I planned on eating only sugar and sitting on the couch for hours. My dad had told me he wanted to do a movie marathon, so no matter what, that was what my first few days of summer vacation would be.

The next two days went quickly. I hardly remember them at all. We played games and joked around, but I can't recall any specifics. When we finally said our goodbyes, I was silent. Lance still didn't know that me and Keith were dating, so when I was acting grump, he kept poking me, saying "Lighten up! It's the last day of school!" I just glared at him until he left me alone. I didn't feel like celebrating. The others pretty much left me alone, since they kew what was wrong. But Kinkade, like the good friend he was, kept trying to cheer me up. He made fun of Lance a bit, which made everyone laugh, told a funny story about his brother, and shot me little smiles. He had spent the most time with me and Keith, so he had a better idea of how important we were to each other. When we said goodbye, he hugged me and whispered in my ear"You good buddy?" I nodded, pulling back. "Yeah, just tired. I'll be fine." He looked at me doubtedly, but nodded. He knew not to press me. When me and Veronica said goodbye, she whispered. "Don't worry, my Mami and Abuela will make Lance miserable. And so will I." I smiled. "Thanks Veronica." Hunk and Pidge gave me sympathetic looks, and Rizavi smacked my shoulder. "Lighten up, you'll see him soon."'But what surprised me was what Ina did. She just walked up to me and gave me a hug, saying- "It's okay to be sad sometimes. You don't have to pretend around us. We're your family." I nodded silently, a small smile on my face. "I know that this is affecting you more than you're willing to admit, and you need to talk to someone about it. By holding it in, you're hurting yourself." She said. I nodded. "Okay, I will." Someday, I thought. Seemingly satisfied with my answer, she left. And with that, all of my friends were gone.

About half an hour later, my dad's car pulled up. I put my bags in the back and climbed into the front. "Hey son. Sorry I'm late. Traffic was murder." He said with a smile. Then he saw me, and it fell. "James, son, are you alright?" I nodded, looking out the window. "Are you sure? Do you wanna talk about it?" I shook my head again. "James, something is wrong. Will you please tell me? Is it about Keith?" I nodded silently. "What happened?" He asked. "I don't wanna talk about it. Not right now." I said. I don't care what Ina said, I don't wanna talk about it. "Okaay. SO how was school? You know, before." I shrugged. "It was good. I'm third in fighter pilot class." "Good! That's good! What else?" I sat up. "Well, uh, we went star gazing for Keith's birthday. And for Pidges, we, well, Veronica and Hunk, helped her build and program a robot. Then she chased her dog and us with it." "Well that was nice. What about Kinkade?" "He's good. He said he'd probably do photography camp again this year." My dad nodded. "Good for him. Anything else?" I shook my head. "No, not that I can think of. Oh, wait, Pidge thinks its all a government cover-up for an alien abduction." I said. "WhAt? A cover-up?" My dad asked, looking at me for a second, "Yeah. Shiro was the best pilot of his generation, and her dad and Matt were some of the best computer engineers ever. They don't just "accidently" crash without saying something. She said that she's gonna hack the Garrison database and prove it." "Isn't that a federal offense?" He asked, and I smiled. "Not if she doesn't get caught. All of their equipment is still in their rooms, and it's no secret that Pidge helped them design it. So she know all the passwords and stuff. It's only a matter of time." He nodded, and we drove the rest of the way in silence.

The first few days we were home, he stayed with me, and we watched all of the Star Wars and Avengers movies in order, joking around and eating junk food. Then he had to go back to work. I went to my mom's for two or three weekends, but I mostly stayed with my dad. I couch surfed mostly, but I worked out at the local gym too. According to my dad, I was being very "mopey", and didn't seem like myself. But I brushed him off, insisting that I was fine.

One day, in July, a few days before my birthday, he walked in with a huge smile. **( because he has no official birthday, I'm making it mine, July 27th.** ) "Pack a bag, we're going on a trip." He said. I nearly fell off the couch. "Wait,what? A trip? Really?" I said, and he nodded. "Yep! Its a few hours away, but I know that you'll love it! Now hurry up! We have to be there by tomorrow!" I jumped up and ran to my room, and began stuffing my stuff in a bag. we were going on a trip! We never went on a vacation! Him and my mom always had work, or didn't have the time. I continued packing, excitement growing by the second. 

"Where are we going?" I asked as I walked out, trying to find my charger. "It's a surprise." He said, still smiling. "Really? You can't just tell me? How will I know what I need?" He continued smiling. "Well, if I tell you, it won't be a surprise. But you need a swimsuit." My eyes lit up "Are we going to the beach?!" He nodded. "Yep. We won't be home for a few days." I ran to and hugged him, smiling brightly. "Thanks dad!" He smiled, hugging me back. "No problem. Now hurry, I want to get there sometime today." I nodded and released him, running back to my room. Not only were we going on a trip, we were going to the beach, AND we'd be staying for a few days! I was the happiest that I'd been the entire summer.

Not too long after, we were in his car, starting the drive to the beach. "Where exactly are we going?" I asked, bouncing in my seat. I was acting like a fucking four year old, but I couldn't help it! I was so happy! My dad chuckled. "Settle down James. We're going to Corpus. You mom told me how much you enjoyed going last year, so I figured we should go this year." I smiled. "Yeah! It was really fun! Me, Keith and Adam got ice cream, and played in the water, and we threw sand at Adam!" "Hahaha! Oh, Adam must not have liked that." I smiled "He didn't. He chased us with a water gun, and nearly plowed over some old lady. She started yelling at him, and he was apologizing forever." "Hahahaha! James, you're gonna get in trouble for that someday." My dad said with a smile. I shrugged. "Only if I get caught." I said with a smile.

That's how it went for the rest of the ride. We joked around, talking about random things. We stopped at a Bucky's,got some drinks and chips, then continued on our way. At some point, I fell asleep, and my dad had to wake me up. "James. James. James. JAMES!" He said, poking my sides. I opened my eyes groggily. "Hmm? Yeah?" He smiled. "We're here. grab your stuff." I nodded sleepily and stepped out of the car. We went in the hotel and checked in. My dad kept checking his phone, like he was expecting something. He got a call, and stepped into the hall. "Huh? Really? Okay, we'll wait for a little bit. Yeah, he's been doing that to. Alright. See you soon." Then he came back in. "Well, how about we stay in here for a little bit? It's still pretty hot and crowded, and if we wait, we might se the stars." I nodded, jumping on one of the beds. "Okay." And turned on the TV. "So who were you talking to?" I asked. My dad shrugged and sat on the other bed. "A friend. He has a moody teen too, and he might meet us here." I groaned "Is this a business trip?" He shook his head, smiling "No. We just might see some friends."


	83. Beach Reunion

Keith POV 

Adam had confiscated all of my devices because of my getting expelled, so I hadn't bee able to talk to anyone, even James. I just slept in and moped around the house. As a precaution, Adam didn't keep his razors in the house anymore, or anything sharp. Lucky for me, he still didn't know about the purple knife I had under mobbed, so he hadn't taken that away. A few days I took it out and just stared at it, studying it. It had that weird symbol on the gem in the handle, but it wasn't anything I recognized. There was no writing on it, and the wrappings had nothing on them either. I tried working out a few times, but it got boring real quickly. I ran a lot, since had plenty if space and time. According to Adam, I was being "a depressed emo teen". He was always telling me to get out of the house and enjoy the "Beautiful day". Its hard to enjoy yourself when its 99+ degrees out. But I did it anyway. I went out on the hover bike that Shiro had gotten me. It was hard at first, since it was Shiro's and all, but I got over it. I had accepted it, and kinda moved on. We had fallen into a schedule. Adam went to work, I woke up, was lazy, Adam came back, told me to go outside, and I did. Then we ate dinner, went to bed, and it repeated. 

Then one day in late July, Adam came home early. I was just lying on the couch, reading a book. "Get up, we're going out." He said, throwing his bag on the couch next to me. "Where?" I asked. Normally he wasn't so blunt about things. "The beach. In Corpus. Grab your swimsuit, a change of clothes, the works. We leave in half an hour." He answered, going to his room. I shrugged and got up, setting my book down. I went to my room and grabbed my swimsuit, putting it on. This was definently a surprise. I lost myself in though as I packed my bag. Last time we went to the beach, it was mostly because James was here and we wanted to do something fun.

I stopped what I was doing. James. My James. I hadn't seen or talked since I had gotten kicked out. Yeah, he knew I was grounded from all technology, but still. I hadn't talked to him at all. I really missed him. I hadn't slept at all the first week or so, because I was so used to him being there, holding me, that it was hard to fall asleep without him. I missed him a lot. His smiles, his hugs, the reassuring looks, his kisses. It was really weird, not being around him. I felt weird. Like something was missing. "Keith! You ready?" Adam called. I shook my head, snapping out of it. I could get lost in thought later. Now, I was going to the beach. "Yeah! Be there in a sec!" I yelled back, stuffing my charger and book in my bag, If I was lucky, Adam would give me my phone back for the ride there.

I was lucky. After getting off a phone call, Adam was feeling merciful and gave me my phone. I opened it quickly, and tried to open my social media and texts, but it didn't work. "What the hell?" I muttered, opening and closing them over and over again. "No texting or social media. Only games and music." Adam said. "But how am I supposed to talk to James?" I whined. "Keith, you've gone this long. You can wait a few more days. I didn't pay for your data this month, so what you have downloaded is what you get." Adam said, climbing into the truck. "Aww." I whined, also getting in. "Hey, I could just take it back." He threatened, and I shook my head. "No! This is good."

Then we began the drive to Corpus. It was long and quiet, and I nearly fell asleep. When we got there, I recognized where we were. It was were Adam had taken me and James last summer. I sighed, remembering that day. We had thrown sand at Adam, which led to an old lady yelling at him for "nearly killing her". "Come on, I don't have all day," Adam said as he began walking away. "Wait, what are we doing?" I asked. "There's someone I'm supposed to meet here. A friend of mine, you've met them before." Adam answered, continuing to walk at a brisk pace. I almost had to run to keep up with him. "Who is it?" "You'll see." He answered, checking his phone. Then he looked around a bit, surveying the area. "Oh! There they are!" He said, smiling. "Who? I can't see them." I said. I was a little less than the average height for someone my age, and I hated it. "Just follow me." Adam said shaking his head. I followed his through the sea of people, almost getting crushed in the process. "Chris! Over here!" He called out. A person yelled back "Adam! Good to see you!" Wait, wasn't Chris James's dad's name? I ran after Adam, and when I saw who it was we were meeting, I stopped. It was Chris, and next to him was.....

"Keith!" James called out, looking at me, a brilliant smile on his face. "James!" I exclaimed, as I ran towards him and threw myself into his arms. I hugged him, arms around his shoulders. He pulled back, cupped my face, and then he pulled me into a kiss. It was amazing. For the first time in a month and a half, I was kissing my James again. He pulled back, smile still on his face. "I missed you." I muttered, leaning into the palm of his hand. "Not as much as I missed you.' He said, still smiling.

"Surprise!" Chris said. "Are you happy?" He asked, smile on his face. "You guys did this?" I asked, as James took his hand off my face and out his arms around my waist. "Of course." Adam said with a smile. "You've been moody all summer, and I figured you were just James-deprived." "James has been the exact same way. I don't think he slept at all the first few days either. But basically, you two haven't seen each other in forever, and were being real pains in the ass, so we did this." Chris said with a smile. "Now go! Have fun! Just stay on this part of the beach." Adam said. Me and James exchanged a look, then took off, hand in hand, towards the water. Finally, we were together again. 

Adam POV  
As I watched them run away, I couldn't help but smile. They were obviously so in love. But they just didn't realize how much. "So, how you guys doing?" Chris asked. I shrugged. "Fine right now. It was hard at first, but we've adjusted." I said. "James told me about Keith. It hasn't happened again, has it?" I shook my head. "No. After a good long cry, and actually talking instead of surpressing his emotions, he was noticeably better. How about James? He seemed pretty broken up when Keith told him." "He's doing okay. He was pretty mopey the first few days, but then started acting more like his usual self. But I think they both really needed this." He said, nodding towards the boys. They were both waist deep in the water, and splashing each other, smiles on their faces. "Yeah, they did." I said, smiling. "So, when do you think they'll realize just how much they love each other?" Chris asked. "I don't know. But they do know they're in love, so that's a start."


	84. Singing

Keith POV

We stayed at the beach for a few hours, me and James playing in the ocean and catching up, and Adam and Chris had a few drinks. Then we had to head back to the hotel. After showering and changing, we went to a nearby restaurant, with seafood of course. "So, boys, do you know why we're here?" Chris asked. "Because its dinner time and we're all hungry?" James said. Chris smiled but shook his head. "No, but good answer. We're here because we need to discuss you guy's recent behavior." I raised an eyebrow. What did he mean? Were we gonna talk about my getting expelled? Adam already lectured me about that. Adam sighed. "Okay, they obviously don't get it. You guys have both been moping around the house. Being lazy and acting like its the end of the world. From what we gather, it's because you guys aren't around each other." "So, we're trying to figure a way out for you guys to hang out this summer so we don't have to deal with two moody teens." Chris finished. "James, we'll probably do what we did last summer, and you'll stay with Keith and Adam for most of the summer. Is that okay with you?" James smiled and nodded "Of course!" We spent the rest of the dinner joking around and stuffing ourselves with fish and chips.

The next day, James and his dad said goodbye, and he went home with me and Adam. After a heated argument over who got to be shotgun, Adam sentenced us both to the back seat. "Okay, that's enough, No one in the front, both of you in the back. God damn, its just a seat." "But if you're in the front you can change the music!" I whined as I got in the back. "What's this about music?" James asked. Adam smiled evilly in the mirror. "Keith doesn't approve of my taste in music, so he always steals the aux cord. But this time, I have it. And I'm going to torture you guys with my music." I groaned. "Adam, please no!" "What's wrong? Its just music." James said. "But he likes cheesy pop songs and Ed Sheeran. Basically anything that mentions love and gets stuck in your head." James smiled. "But I like Ed Sheeran songs. And things that get stuck in my head."

"Haha! YES! Looks like its two against one Keith." Adam jeered. I glared at him and shook my head. "I can't believe it. My boyfriend likes cheesy pop songs. I hate it." James smiled and leaned onto me "But you love me." I sighed "Well, that is true." And kissed him. Adam rolled his eyes. "Can you not? I don't need you defiling my car." I broke away from James smiling "Hey, you and Shiro have done worse in the front seat, so shut up and play your devil's music." Adam blushed a bit, but shut up. He started scrolling through his phone, finally choosing a playlist. The first notes of Castle on the Hill began, and we started the long drive home.

Song after song played, each cheesier than the last. Adam sung along to almost everyone, and James hummed to a few. I just leaned against his shoulder, trying to drown out the music. 'd never admit it, but I kind of liked Adam music. It reminded me of Shiro and our impromptu singing sessions. The first few notes of one of the songs started, and James sat up straight. "You recognize this one James? How about singing it with me?" Adam said. I sat up. James was gonna sing? JAMES WAS GONNA SING! I hadn't heard him do it since my birthday a few years ago. James smiled. "Sure." The song started, and they began to sing.

_When your legs don't work like they used to before  
And I can't sweep you off of your feet  
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love  
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks_

_And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70_

_And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23  
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways  
Maybe just the touch of a hand  
Oh me I fall in love with you every single day  
And I just wanna tell you I am_

I stared at James in awe. He had a beautiful voice. He was beautiful. He hit every note, and seemed to know the words by heart. As the song continued, I couldn't tear my gaze away from him. When it finally ended, James had a bright smile on his face. He caught me staring at him and raised and eyebrow. "What?" He asked, face turning a light pink. I shook my head a little and smiled. "Nothing. You just have a beautiful voice. You should sing more often." James shook his head. "No, I'm good." "Keith's right James. You have a great voice. Why don't you sing?" Adam said, looking in the mirror. James shrugged. "I just don't like to with other people. Keith does the same thing." "Yeah, but I have a good excuse." "And what is that?" James asked, leaning towards me. I smiled, and pecked him on the lips. "If I'm singing, I can't kiss you." James smiled. "That's a very good excuse."

We spent the rest of the ride singing along to the songs, and it went from genuinely trying to sound good to sounding like we were dying. We weren't loud, but we put in a bunch of voice cracks and weird noises. The three of us were cracking up most of the time, barely registering where we were. As we finished a terrible re-edition of Let Me Love you, we pulled into our driveway. We got out, laughing the whole time. I was smiling big, bright and genuinely. Yeah, this year had started out as a shit show. But we could still make it good with the time we had. 


	85. Happy Birthday James

James POV

The past few days had been the best this entire summer. Me, Keith and Adam had hung out, playing games and watching TV. I got to fall asleep next to my Kitten, while getting goodnight and morning kisses and cuddles. Adam made breakfast, then we sometimes went out on Keith's hover bike. He went by himself really early in the morning, but was almost always back by the time I got up.

Today, when I woke up, he wasn't there. I got out of bed and headed into the kitchen, where I found Adam. "Hey James. Sleep well?" I nodded silently, still rubbing the morning grit out of my eyes. Suddenly I felt a pair of arms wrap around me from behind and I smiled softly. "Hi Kitten." "Hey James. Happy birthday." He said, leaning up to peck me on the cheek. "Hmm?" I asked, still only half awake. "It's your birthday dummy. Aren't you happy?" "Oh! Right!" I had totally forgotten about my own birthday. "James, I didn't know it was your birthday! You should've said something." Adam said surprised. I shrugged. "To be honest, I forgot." "Well, then you're lucky you have me." Keith said, smiling. "Okay, you guys stay here, I'm going to go get a cake. Then we can go out for dinner." Adam said, standing and going to his room. "We can just stay here. I don't mind." I suggested. "Nonsense James. You're a part of the family, and we always celebrate birthdays. Now, chocolate or vanilla?" Adam asked, waving me off. "Yes." I said. He nodded. "Alright. Well, I might be gone for a while. Don't do anything wrong while I'm gone." And he was out the door. 

"We're gonna do something." Keith said, smirking. "But Kitten, I just woke up." I whined. "We're just gonna go for a ride." "No!" I groaned, falling on the couch. "You drive like a lunatic, and I'd like to see my 18th birthday." "It is your 18th birthday dumbass." Keith said, crossing his arms. "Oh, right. Still no. Not right now." "Well what do you want to do right now?" Keith asked. I put my arms up "Cuddles and TV. Maybe some kisses too." I said with a smile. Keith grabbed the remote and fell on me. "Your wish is my command."

We spent the rest of the morning like that, cuddling on the couch and bingeing the first season of DC Legends of Tomorrow. "I don't get it. This guy chases this chick throughout time and tries to kill her boyfriend? Why?" I asked. Keith shrugged from his spot in my lap. "Guess he's never heard of moving on." The door opened, and Adam walked in, bags and a box hand. "Hey boys! I got the cake! And some chips and soda. Unfortunately, I have to do a video meeting later, at 10." "What kind of crackpot is working at 10 at night?" Keith asked, turning in my lap to look at him. Now he was straddling me. I heard Adam sigh and put the stuff down. "This one apparently. I trust you guys won't do anything crazy." I smiled. Maybe not then, but now, maybe. I kissed Keith's neck softly, peppering kisses all over his neck and collarbone. He started giggling and squirming in my lap. "Haha! James! What are you doing? That tickles!" I smiled, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I want kisses." I muttered.

Keith took my face in his hands and pulled me into a kiss. "Like that?" He asked, smiling. "Mhmm." I muttered, already leaning in for another one. Keith happily obliged. Then, for the next few hours, we alternated between cuddles, kisses and TV. Adam kept making comments or weird noises whenever we kissed, but when he looked at us you could see joy in his eyes. He was happy that we were happy. Around 9, we did cake. Adam apologized for not having presents, but I shook my head. "No, its fine, really." I said. "Is it? I feel bad." Adams said. "I already have everything I wanted. I'm here with you guys. And I get to spend my birthday with my boyfriend." I said with a smile. Keith blushed a bit, smiling with his lips, but no teeth. Adam sighed and rose from the table. "As much as I hate it, I have work. Goodnight boys. Happy birthday James." He said, patting my hair as he left.

The second his bedroom door closed, Keith stood. "Come on." He said, heading towards the garage. "Where are we going?" I asked, following him. "It's a surprise." He said, smiling evilly. I sighed and took the helmet he offered to me. "Alright. Lets go." we got on the bike and Keith sped out into the dessert. Even after all this time, the view was breathtaking. The dessert looked so peaceful at night. Keith suddenly turned the bike, heading towards a small shape in the distance. As we got closer, I realized that it was a house of sorts. It was pretty small, like a shack, and seemed to be in pretty good shape. "What is this place?" I asked, climbing off the bike. "Neat, huh? I found it a couple weeks ago. It looks better on the inside than the outside. I fixed it up a bit." Keith said, pulling out a key. He opened the door, revealing the contents of the mysterious house. There was a couch, what looked like a bathroom, and a mini kitchen. It looked relatively clean for a place in the middle of the dessert, and the lone window had a fine layer of dust on it. "Keith, are you sure this is safe?" I asked. We had no idea who owned this place, or how old it was. "Of course it is. I've been here plenty of times, and I've never had a problem. I, uh, figured that this could be our little place." Keith said, blushing a bit on the end. I smiled, a thought forming in my head. I turned my back to Keith and looked around again. "Hmm, a little house, in the middle of the dessert, no one else knows where it is, no adults or friends around." I picked up a little bottle off the counter. "Lube. Keith, did you bring me here to seduce me?" I asked turning to look at him.

He was looking at the ground, a dark flush on his cheeks. "So what if I was?" He asked, looking at me. "What if I am? What would you do then?" He asked, stepping closer to me. "What if I told you I brought you here so that I could suck your dick to my hearts content? So that you could fuck me into the couch? So that you could plow my ass, over and over again, until we pass out. So that I could strip for you, so that we could kiss each other anywhere we wanted? So that I could ride you all night long?" Without knowing it, he had gotten me sitting on the couch, him straddling my hips like earlier. But gone was the innocence in his eyes, replaced by what could only be identified as lust. He started trailing kisses down my neck, grinding on me, his hot breath causing my skin to prickle. "What would you do? What would you do then Griffin?" He muttered against my neck.

A primal instinct ran through me. I flipped us so that he was lying on his back on the couch, me hovering above him. "I'd say that I'm about to fuck you into the cushions Kitten." And leaned down to claim his lips. I let my hand roam, resting them on his waist, putting my fingers just inside the waistband of his pants. I bit his lip softly, causing him to gasp, and slipped my tounge into his mouth. I explored every part of it as Keith threaded his fingers through my hair, pulling me closer. Somehow our shirts came off, and I started trailing kisses down his neck and chest, leaving hickeys and bite marks everywhere. When I kissed a certain part of his neck, Keith's hips bucked, and I knew I had found his sweet spot. I started to abuse it, kissing and biting it over and over again. 

And lets just say, thing escalated from there. We ended up laying on the couch, breathing heavily. Keith had fallen onto me after riding me for a second time, and his bangs were matted to his forehead with sweat. "Fuck, Kitten, that felt so good." I muttered breathlessly. "Wanna go again?" He asked, breath hot against my neck. "Baby, I don't think I can. Can we just stay like this for a while?" Keith nodded into my neck. His breathing soon evened out, and he fell asleep. I looked at him and smiled. He looked so at peace, so happy. And so was I. Things were finally looking up.


	86. Back to Hell

James POV

Somehow, we made it back to the house before Adam woke up, and I don't think he suspected a thing. We ended up going back to the shack a few more times, but mostly for stargazing, not fucking.

Sadly, the rest if summer passed fairly quickly, and I soon had to go back to hell. I mean, school. But was there really a difference? I had to go from impromptu singing sessions and messing around to being quiet and learning.

Since I was with them, Adam and Keith took me to the Garrison. "So, James, are you excited for this year?" Adam asked, looking in the rearview mirror. Me and Keith had been sentenced to the backseat, since we kept arguing about who got shotgun. I shrugged. "Kind of. We're supposed to actually start using planes, but that probably won't happen. And the homework. All the homework." I groaned, throwing my head back. "Veronica said its double what we had last year." "Hey, I'm sure you'll be fine." Keith said, squeezing my hand affectionally. He'd been especially clingy the past two weeks, but it made sense. I'd be at the Garrison all the time, and Adam would probably be to. He'd be home alone until Christmas. "Yeah, but what about you? You'll be alone the whole time." He smiled at me. "I have a hover bike and a phone. If I get lonely, I'll just drive over or text you." "No, you will not drive that bike to the Garrison. Keith, I swear to god, if you do that I'll take away the TV." Adam said, but you could hear a smile in his voice. "Sure." Keith said, winking at me. I shook my head, smiling. He was definitely going to do it. "And your phone." Adam added. "Don't think I didn't see that." Keith's shoulders slumped. He may not go through with the TV threat, but he would with the phone one. Until we met at the beach, I hadn't heard from Keith at all since he left. 

We went the rest of the way in silence, Keith leaning on my shoulder. When we go there, Keith helped me and Adam get our stuff. As we went in, Keith got lots of weird looks. Almost everyone knew that he wasn't enrolled at the Garrison anymore, but they though he had dropped out. They didn't know that he had gotten kicked out, which was probably for the best. When our friends saw us, they smiled. "Keith! James! What's up?" Kinkade said, pulling us into a hug. "Nothing much." I said, pulling back. "Keith, are you sure it's a good idea for you to be here?" Veronica asked. Keith shrugged "Don't know. But no one's said anything yet, so I think I'm good." "Yeah, and if they do, he'll just deck them." Rizavi said, ginning. "What?" I asked. "Dude, have you seen Iverson? His one eye won't open, cause Keith hit him." I looked at Keith in shock. "Really?" He shook his head. "No, _**I**_ didn't hit him. The lamp I threw at him did." He finished with a smile. Rizavi laughed "Damn Keith! That's hardcore." "Keith why?" I asked. "He was being an ass. And it was the closest thing to me. Other than that, it was a bookcase, and I couldn't pick that up." Keith said, still smiling. I shook my head, but couldn't keep the smile off my face. "I can't believe you." "Kogane, what are you doing here?" A voice said behind us.

We turned and saw Iverson, looking pretty pissed off. "I repeat, Kogane, what are you doing here?" He said, glaring at Keith with his one good eye. I felt Keith stiffen next to me "Just saying hi to my friends." "Hmm. Alright, but I don't expect you to make a habit of being here. This is technically a military facility, and you're no longer authorized." Keith nodded curtly. "I understand." "Good. Griffin, you should stay away from this one. He's trouble. And we can't have our top pilot in trouble, can we?" Iverson said, turning his eye towards me. I gulped and nodded. "Uh, yes sir." He nodded. "Good. As you were." And left. I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding. "Shit." Kinkade muttered. "Keith, I fully support your decision to throw a lamp at him." Rizavi said. "Yeah, you get it now, right?" "Well, lets focus on the good news. James is now the top pilot!" Ina said. "But how? Kinkade got a higher score in the simulator than I did." I said. Iverson had just said I shouldn't go out with Keith, while also upping my ranking. "Yes, but grades are also taken into consideration. So you must have higher grades. Or Iverson did it to mess with Keith." Ina said. "That's messed up." I muttered, shaking my head. "Yeah, I mean, I'm obviously better than you." Kinkade said with a smile. I shoved his shoulder. "Shut up." "But you said it yourself, I'm better than you." "At the simulator." I said, looking at him pointedly. "Okay, you guys can have your staring contest later. I'm gonna go." Rizavi said, picking up her bag. "Yeah, me too." Ina said, following her. "You know, we should probably do that too. Come on James." Keith said, taking my hand. 

We headed back to our room, hand in hand. Somehow, no one saw us, and we entered our room wordlessly. I put my bag on my bunk, looking around. "You know it-" I started, when Keith pulled me into a hug. "I'm gonna miss you." He muttered into my chest. I smiled "Don't worry. You'll see me again soon." "Yeah, on a video call. I can't hug you over the phone." He said, pulling back. "But at least then we can see each other. And we can still text and stuff." I said, smiling softly. "Yeah, but its not the same." Keith pouted. "You won't be there with me." I smiled. "I'm here now." And kissed him. It was soft, gentle even, unlike most of our other ones, that got heated in seconds. We pulled away, and Keith was smiling. He sighed. "I'm going to miss you so much." "I'll miss you too Kitten. But I'll get to see you at Christmas, okay?" He nodded, and kissed me again. "I love you James."

I smiled. We didn't normally tell each other that. It was never really needed. We knew it. "I love you too." We hugged one last time, and he left. I sighed and sat on the bed. 

This was going to be a long year.


	87. Filler for transition to next part

Keith POV

It's only been a 3 weeks since James and Adam went back to the Garrison, and I'm already bored out of my mind, and miss them a lot. I've been sleeping in until 10-11, then staying up til 3 or 4. I've gone to the shack a lot, tidying the place up and moving some stuff there. Its not uncommon for me to fall asleep there, so I figured I better have some supplies. There's clothes in the bedroom, for me, Adam and Shiro. Even though he's gone, it's kinda comforting to have his stuff around. Makes it seem more like home. I brought food as well, and some sheets and blankets. James and I traded fuzzy blankets, so he had my red one and o have this orange one. It still kinda smells like him.

I've also ridden the bike a lot, all around the dessert. I tried doing the trick that Shiro taught me, and I almost crashed. But I didn't tell Adam or James that. 

Adam has already gone into over-protective mom mode, calling me every night and texting me throughout the day asking if I'm okay. Its nice and all, but sometimes a little peace and quiet is good for you.

Me and James have been able to talk everyday so far, whether its by text or video call. Since he's still in school, he has to get up early, and go to sleep at a reasonable time. So every night, and every morning, he sends me a text saying "I love you." Its really cheesy, and I tease him about it a bit, but I love it. And of course I say it back.

I haven't talked to any of the others, it'd just be really weird. Pidge and I texted a few times, she still thinks that the Kerberos mission is just a cover up for something bigger. Like an alien abduction or something. She said she'd set up some of her dad's old equipment on the roof, and was trying to see if there was alien life out there. I had my doubts, but I told her to keep me updated. If anyone could prove that aliens were real, it'd be Pidge.

Time went on, and soon it was near the end of September. I got to talk to James and Adam less and less, but I still got my "I love you"s everyday. I had also found this weird cave when I was riding around on my bike. It had a bunch of weird writing and shapes on the walls, like it was supposed to be some kind of language. But it was nothing I recognized. I went there often, and practically moved into the shack. I had found a generator, and gotten the electricity running. I ended up moving my computer there, so that I could research the strange markings I found. The shack was a lot closer to the cave, and I had grown really attached to it. I can't explain it, but I felt like I'd been here before.

One night, when all was well and good, I was on the roof, stargazing. All of a sudden, this huge thing came hurtling out of the sky. It looked like some kind of ship, and it crashed near the Garrison. I ran inside and got some binoculars, then went back out to try and see what it was. It WAS a ship, but it didn't look like any kind I had seen before. Already, Garrison vehicles were surrounding it, and I saw a bunch of people in white hazmat suits go in. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't human. Pidge's theory started making more sense now. Unexpected error, mysterious disappearance, little information about it, and now this weird ship comes falling out of the sky? What it there was someone on board? Or something? Maybe whatever was on that ship knew what had really happened to Shiro and the Holts.

I ran to my bike and hopped on, and began speeding towards the crash site. I had to find out what it was. 


	88. Shiro

Keith POV

Since I had no idea what was happening by that ship, or who would be there, I covered my face with some old bandana I found, and out that weird knife in my pocket. It might come in handy.

I hid the bike behind this big rock formation, and got off. I slowly stepped towards the ship, hiding behind another rock formation. I peeked around the corner and saw a few Garrison officers outside. "But the mission failed. He's supposed to be dead." One said. "Yeah, the whole pilot error thing didn't make sense. But the point is he's alive, surprisingly." The second one said. "Right. How are they gonna tell everyone?" He shrugged "I don't know. They might not."

Without realizing it, I had crept closer and closer to them, trying to hear their conversation. "Hey! Get outta here!" One yelled, starting to run towards me. Well shit. I've been caught. His partner followed him, and I ran at them. I decked one, and tripped the other, causing him to hit his head. I smiled to myself. Yeah, I still got it.

I ran into the ship, avoiding any other people and trying to find the person the guards mentioned. Maybe it was an alien. An alien that knew what happened to Shiro. I found a door, with some weird ass keyboard on it. It had really weird markings, like the ones in the cave. I tried pushing a few buttons, and it beeped. 

**at this point, you might as well just watch the video or episode.**

It opened, and inside I saw three Garrison techs and some guy on a table. "Hey!" One yelled, running towards me. I smirked and put my hands up in a fighting stance. Oh yeah, this was gonna be fun. I decked him and the other two, sending them flying into their equipment. One had fallen in front of me, and I jumped over him, almost falling, and stood next to the guy, pulling down my bandana. I couldn't believe my eyes. I turned his face and "Shiro?" Holy shit Shiro was alive. And had a big scar on his face, and a FUCKING ROBOTIC ARM. How did that happen? Who did this? Wait, how am I gonna tell Adam? I left my phone in the shack. Fuck that, I'll tell him later. I pulled out the knife and cut the ropes holding him on the table. I had him standing when some more people showed up. It was Pidge, Hunk, and ugghh, Lance. "Hey, no, I'm saving Shiro."

**Just watch the video, first the top then this one**

After jumping the cliff and losing the Garrison, I took them to the shack. There was no way I was taking them home. If someone saw Shiro, they'd probably call the cops, because what the hell was a dead guy doing home?

"Keith, what the hell is this place?" Pidge asked. "I found it, so I guess it's mine now." "Huh, so you're a dropout and a thief? Doesn't surprise me." Lance said. I glared at him, but said nothing. I laid Shiro on the couch, and went to grab a snack. "Yeah, uh so, how you been?" Hunk asked. I shrugged, opening a mini bag of Oreos. "Good. I've been here a lot, riding the bike. How is..." I trailed off, remembering that we didn't talk about it in front of Lance. "He's fine. Adam is fine." Pidge answered. I smiled a bit. "Great." "Okay, but what are we gonna do? Obviously he's not dead, so what now? Take him to the Garrison, or take him to the press?" Lance asked, looking at Shiro. We wait for him to wake up and get him out of those rags. Then we figure out what to do." I said. They nodded silently, and Pidge made herself at home on the floor. She pulled a laptop, phone and a few other weird tech pieces out of her back pack, and started typing away. "what's that?" I asked, leaning over her. She stole one of my Oreos and said "Its some stuff I've been working on. I found this transmission that keeps repeating itself, saying Voltron over and over. It says other stuff too, in some kind of foreign language, but I don't recognize it." Maybe she had the same as the one in the cave and ship. "What's it look like?" I asked. She pushed some buttons and showed me her screen. It was just like the stuff in the cave. "I've seen this before. In a cave around here. I can take you there after Shiro wakes up." Pidge smiled, and Lance glared at me. "No way man! We should be going to the news with him! We found the dead astronaut in an alien ship!" I glared at Lance. "No. Then we'll probably get arrested, or the Garrison will do something to us. We're gonna wait for him to wake up, then go to the cave. What you want doesn't matter right now." "Yeah Lance. Your family is all safe on Earth. If Shiro's alive, maybe Matt and my dad are too! We need to see what these things are." Lance sighed. "Fine. Do you have a bathroom here?" He asked. I shook my head. "Nope. But there's a big dessert out there." I said with a smirk. "No thanks." He said, sitting on the floor.

We waited a few more hours, exchanging small talk and sharing news. Apparently, James was now the top pilot at the Garrison, both in the simulator and grade wise. And Lance had gotten put into fighter class after I got kicked out. They had also gotten rid of the combat classes, cause too many kids were getting hurt.

Shiro started stirring, and I ran over to him. He opened his eyes slowly, groaning a bit. "Keith.. KEITH!" He exclaimed, shooting my and wrapping his arms around me. "I smiled and hugged him tightly. "Shiro.. you're okay." "Shiro!" Pidge exclaimed running over to us. Shiro pulled away from me and hugged her too. "Pidge! Fuck I missed you guys!" "Where my dad and Matt?" she asked, and Shiro looked at her with a sad smile. "I-I don't know the last thing I remember is getting to Kerberos, then this ship appeared. I'm sorry Pidge, I don't know." Her shoulders sagged, and she shook her head. "You don't remember. You don't remember now! you probably will later! I mean, you fell from the sky in an alien ship. you have a scar on your face and a robotic arm!" Shiro face fell. "I what?" He picked up his arm and looked at it oddly. "I-i don't remember getting this. And a scar? Where?" "On the bridge of your nose. Keith do you have a mirror?" Pidge asked. I nodded. "Yeah. I'm gonna go get some clothes for you too." I said, heading towards the bathroom. Yeah, I had told Lance there wasn't one. But it didn't work, so it didn't matter. I had found some clothes there before, and had washed them and brought them back. I handed them to Shiro, along with a water bottle. "There's a bathroom down the hall. You can change there." Shiro nodded and stood. "Hey, you said there wasn't a bathroom!" Lance whined. I rolled my eyes. "It doesn't work. There's no running water."

Shiro didn't come back out, so I went to look for him. It was pretty easy. He was outside, looking at his new arm. "Hey." I said, walking over to him. "Hey." He answered.

**This scene happens im not writing all that anyone reading this should just watch the first episode rn**


	89. End of book one

**Go watch the first two or three episodes of Voltron.**

**They go to the cave. They find the blue lion. They get in the lion. They disappear into space. They meet the aliens. They try and form Voltron, they finally do. They fight Sendak, twice. Go watch the episodes I beg of you, otherwise none of the next book will not make sense. The next book will come out soon, all the following chapters will be images in the story, with credit to the artist if I can find it. Thank you for reading and goodbye.**


End file.
